(Israel, 19th) — The Israel Defense Forces said on the evening of the 18th that the Israeli military struck an armed personnel group near the “forward defense line” in southern Lebanon, stating that such operations are “not restricted by the ceasefire.”
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Israeli military stated that the armed group “violated the ceasefire agreement” and approached Israeli soldiers conducting missions south of the “forward defense line,” posing a “threat” to the Israeli forces. The Israeli military subsequently launched airstrikes, killing these armed personnel. On the same day, the Israeli military also attacked an underground shaft south of the “forward defense line” and killed Lebanese Hezbollah militants who were entering the shaft.
The Israeli military stated that its actions were carried out based on political-level instructions, and that “actions taken in self-defense and to neutralize imminent threats are not restricted by the ceasefire.”
In another statement released the same day, the Israeli military said that over the past day it had struck armed personnel in several areas of southern Lebanon.
U.S. President Trump announced in a post on the 16th that Lebanon and Israel would have a 10-day ceasefire. The Lebanon-Israel ceasefire took effect at midnight on the 17th local time.
On the 18th, Lebanese Hezbollah leader Qassem issued a statement saying that Hezbollah would respond to any violations of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and emphasized that the ceasefire must be jointly observed by both parties.