Israel on Sunday said it it killed Hezbollah militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades just a few days after signing a trilateral agreement with US and Lebanon to end the war in the Middle east country. It also claimed to have struck a rocket launcher in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon to remove threats to its soldiers.
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The Israeli military said it struck the structure from which the militants operated and dismantled a rocket launcher that posed a threat, Reuters reported.
As Israel launched strikes in Lebanon despite a deal, Iran called “these brutal attacks… a blatant violation” of the interim truce deal.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the agreement to end the conflict which has also threatened to derail the wider US-Iran peace effort.
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This attack comes day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday hailed the US-brokered agreement with Lebanon, calling it a historic achievement that dealt a blow to arch-foes Iran and Hezbollah.
“Yesterday … we achieved a historic deal for the state of Israel after direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a televised briefing. “This is a blow to Iran and Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah rejects interim peace deal
Notably, Hezbollah has criticised the agreement and Qassem declared it void. The agreement was signed in Washington on Friday after five rounds of talks. It aims to pave the way to peace between the neighbours, includes plans to disarm Hezbollah, AP reported.
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Qassem dubbed the agreement as “humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty” and warned that it could lead to the Israeli annexation of southern Lebanon.
“This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented,” he was quoted as saying.
While Qassem attacked the deal, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz insisted that the country’s troops would be able to stay in Lebanon so long as Hezbollah remained armed.
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Two peace deals, but Middle East on edge again
Despite two interim deals in effect to end the conflict in the Middle East, tensions have escalated over the past few days with US repeatedly striking Iran for targeting ships in Hormuz for not following Tehran’s rules.
Washington and Tehran have both accused each other of ceasefire violations, with the latter reiterating its dominance over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has also threatened to end the peace talks with the US as latest clashes have threatened the interim deal.
