Before daybreak on Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike struck the Baalbek region in the country’s east, according to Lebanon’s official media, which described the incident as a “violation” of the precarious ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Following more than a year of fighting that started when the war in the Gaza Strip broke out, the truce was put into force on November 27.
Since then, both parties have charged one another with violating the truce.
The state-run National News Agency described Wednesday’s attack as the “first violation of the ceasefire agreement” in the Baalbek region and reported that there were no injuries from the hit near the village of Tarya.
A Lebanese security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike targeted “warehouses believed to belong to Hezbollah”.
Hezbollah has for decades held sway in south Beirut, and the south and east of the country.
The war with Israel saw Hezbollah massively weakened but not crushed.
A committee made up of the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and United Nations peacekeepers is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and ensuring violations are identified and dealt with.
Under the provisions of the agreement, Lebanon has requested that the parties, especially the US and France, put pressure on Israel to expedite its withdrawal from the southern half of the nation.
The agreement calls for the Lebanese army and peacekeepers to go into southern Lebanon while the Israeli army withdraws during a 60-day period that ends in January 2025.
Continuing its “defensive activities” in the south “in accordance with the agreement,” the Israeli army declared on Monday.
Regarding the reported strike in eastern Lebanon, it has not yet released a statement.
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