In just the first week since a ceasefire commenced in Lebanon, Israeli forces have already broken the agreement and launched dozens of attacks, reports from humanitarian organizations find.
CNN’s Clarissa Ward reported on Monday, citing a UN peacekeeping source, that Israel has committed an estimated 100 violations of the ceasefire agreement that went into effect last Tuesday. UN peacekeepers are stationed in south Lebanon to monitor military activity there, as part of an agreement sprung out of Israel’s previous occupations of the region.
Other estimates have also found that Israel has continuously violated the agreement, which specifies that Israeli and Hezbollah forces must not carry out offensive attacks. Lebanese officials have counted 62 violations so far, including at least 10 just on Sunday.
A count by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor found that Israel had already committed 18 violations by the second day of the ceasefire. In one attack on Friday, the group said, Israeli soldiers fired on Lebanese people during a funeral procession that had gotten the necessary permits from UN and Lebanese military officials.
Additionally, Israeli tanks have been advancing deeper into areas they hadn’t gone into prior to the ceasefire, Euro-Med Monitor said. This is in spite of the ceasefire deal specifying that Israeli forces must withdraw from their positions in Lebanon.
“Israel’s ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon represent a serious breach of its legal obligations, including international norms and laws,” the rights group said. “This unlawful use of force undermines the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”
According to CNN, Israel has claimed that it is merely........