On November 12th to 14th, Israel launched airstrikes on targets belonging to Hezbollah in southern Beirut for three consecutive days, destroying more buildings controlled by the militant group.
The Israeli military stated that its fighter jets carried out multiple attacks in the southern Beirut area, targeting weapons warehouses, military command centers, and other infrastructure used by Hezbollah.
Since launching an offensive against Hezbollah at the end of September, Israel has dealt heavy blows to the group, conducting airstrikes, sending troops into the south, and killing several senior Hezbollah leaders, including Hasan Nasrallah.
Despite suffering significant losses, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets towards Israel and engage in battles with the Israeli army in the south. On Wednesday (13th), Israel reported that six soldiers were killed in the fighting.
A senior Lebanese official mentioned that Hezbollah is prepared to withdraw its forces from the Lebanon-Israel border without a ceasefire agreement but is rejecting Israel’s demands regarding future confrontations with the Iranian-backed organization.
Ali Hassan Khalil, a close ally of Hezbollah and senior aide to the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, stated in an interview on Wednesday (13th) with Al Jazeera that Lebanon is “precisely” implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
He emphasized that Resolution 1701 “contains a series of clear terms,” and Hezbollah has made commitments to adhere to the contents outlined in the document.
However, Khalil asserted that Lebanon will not accept Israel’s unilateral actions in Lebanese territory. He also mentioned that Lebanon has no objections to the involvement of the US or France in overseeing the ceasefire.
The US and other major world powers have stated that any ceasefire must be based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which stipulates that south of the Litani River (approximately 30 kilometers from the Lebanon-Israel border) should be free of armed forces and weapons, except those of the Lebanese government.
Israel has long accused the resolution of not being effectively implemented, as UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have failed to prevent Hezbollah from amassing strength in the region, with weapons and combatants near the border.
Israel hopes to have the right to intervene independently if necessary to enforce the ceasefire agreement.
White House special envoy Amos Hochstein, who has been trying to broker a ceasefire for the past year, mentioned earlier this week that he believes Lebanon will soon have the opportunity to achieve a ceasefire.