Hezbollah and Israel on Sunday both escalated their attacks and accusations over the other side violating the ceasefire.
Leading into Sunday, the first dispute between the sides following the April 17 ceasefire was that Israel said that the ceasefire only applied North of the Litani River, but not within southern Lebanon.
The IDF already controlled southern Lebanon and wanted to continue to destroy Hezbollah’s weapons stored in nearby villages as well as kill the terror group’s fighters if they remained in that area and refused to surrender.
Since the ceasefire, the IDF had killed over 40 Hezbollah fighters, but almost all in southern Lebanon.
In the broader scheme, Israel has also hoped to hold onto southern Lebanon for an extended period to help pressure Hezbollah into a process of disarming.
In contrast, Hezbollah wanted the IDF to cease operations in southern Lebanon on the way to a more speedy withdrawal from the area back to within Israel’s borders.
Senior Israeli officials have told their American counterparts that if Hezbollah continues attacking IDF soldiers, Israel will be unable to maintain its current measured response, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
Last week, President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire would be extended for another three weeks following a meeting between Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad. Trump also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House in the near future.
On Sunday evening, Netanyahu convened a small group of ministers along with senior security officials to discuss both Iran and the situation in Lebanon. One option under consideration is escalating strikes against Hezbollah, including targeting areas beyond southern Lebanon.
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