JERUSALEM: Israeli defence minister Israel Katz accused Lebanese group Hezbollah on Sunday of not meeting the terms of a ceasefire, warning that if the militants continued to breach the deal, Israel would “be forced to act”.
Katz issued his warning after visiting the military’s northern command and it followed a similar accusation against Israel by Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Saturday.
Katz said Hezbollah had still not withdrawn “beyond the Litani river” in southern Lebanon, as stipulated in the ceasefire deal.
He added that “if this condition is not met, there will be no agreement and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure the safe return of residents of the north to their homes.”
Other provisions had not been implemented, Katz said, such the “dismantling of all (Hezbollah) weapons and the thwarting of terrorist infrastructures in the area by the Lebanese army”.
“We will not allow the creation of a renewed threat to the northern communities and the citizens of the state of Israel,” Katz said in a statement issued by his office.
On Saturday, Qassem accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and said the group was prepared to respond even before the expiry of a 60-day deadline for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
“We have said that we are giving an opportunity to prevent Israeli violations and to implement the agreement and we will exercise patience,” Qassem said.
The fragile truce, which took effect on November 27 after two months of full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, has been marked by accusations of violations from both sides.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah is to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River — some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and US delegates alongside a representative of UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL is tasked with ensuring any ceasefire violations are identified and dealt with.
The UN peacekeeping force has also repeatedly accused Israel of violating the ceasefire terms.
