BEIRUT: Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday accused Israel of “treachery” following a deadly airstrike on the border town of Khiam that came less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army began a deployment there under a ceasefire agreement.
The US brokered the truce between the Israeli army and Hezbollah last month.
Mikati said that Israeli forces resumed attacks on the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army began deploying in the Khiam and Marjeyoun areas to implement the ceasefire.
His protest came as Israeli forces targeted the town square a few hours after the Lebanese army entered the area, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar station reported.
The strategic hilltop town is less than 5 km from the border with Israel. The Israeli army occupied the area during its land operation in southern Lebanon last October.
Lebanese soldiers were positioned in five posts on Thursday after Israeli forces reportedly withdrew from Khiam earlier in the day. The army was also preparing to deploy 6,000 soldiers north of the Litani River.
Mikati said Israeli “treachery” contradicted the commitments of the US and France, who sponsored the ceasefire agreement.
The two countries must address the situation and act against Israeli aggression, he said.
“These continued violations are the responsibility of the monitoring committee tasked with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire, which is required to address what happened immediately and firmly and prevent its recurrence,” said Mikati.
In a statement, the US Central Command leader, Gen. Erik Kurilla, earlier described the Israeli pullout as an “important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and laid the foundation for continued progress.”
Kurilla arrived in Beirut on Wednesday and met Lebanese Army Chief Gen. Joseph Aoun.
In its statement, the Israeli army earlier said that its 7th Brigade had ended its mission in Khiam.
In accordance with the ceasefire agreement and in coordination with the US, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers will be deployed to the area, the Israeli army said.
The first phase of the Israeli withdrawal was accompanied by a series of Israeli violations, especially of Lebanese airspace.
Reconnaissance aircraft flying at low altitudes were seen over Beirut and its southern suburb.
Israeli warplanes were also seen over Rashaya, the western Bekaa, the Zahrani area, and the eastern sector.
Civil Defense workers continued to search for victims buried under rubble following Israel’s 64-day assault on Lebanon.
Human remains were found in a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike near the town of Maarakah.
Israeli forces continue to stop the Lebanese crossing into areas they have occupied south of the Litani River, while also destroying houses and facilities in the border area to make it uninhabitable.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s office in Beirut said he discussed the latest developments with Maj. Gen. Patrick Gaushat, chief of staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization.
Hezbollah had appointed Berri as its representative in the negotiations.
Hezbollah MP Hussein Jashi said the party was now exercising restraint in response to Israeli violations.
“This situation will not last long, as Hezbollah fighters are determined to confront the enemy to the very end,” he said.
“Those who were able to liberate Lebanon under the most challenging circumstances — from Beirut to Sidon, Tyre, and most of the southern lands in 2000 — are capable today of liberating what remains of our land so our people can live with dignity and pride in our country and on our land.
“There is no place for occupation among us, as the time of living under occupation is over.”
Hezbollah’s reaction came as Amnesty International said on Thursday that four recent airstrikes by Israeli forces that left at least 49 people dead must be investigated as war crimes.
“Under international law, direct attacks on civilians or civilian objects, indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians, and disproportionate attacks that cause excessive incidental civilian loss are war crimes,” it said.
In a research briefing titled “The Sky Rained Missiles: Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon Must Be Investigated as War Crimes,” Amnesty International claimed that Israeli forces unlawfully targeted residential buildings in several locations. These strikes occurred in the village of Al-Ain in northern Bekaa on Sept. 29, in the town of Aitou in northern Lebanon on Oct. 14, and in Baalbeck city on Oct. 21.
Israeli forces also unlawfully attacked the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on Oct. 16.
“The Israeli military did not issue warnings ahead of these strikes,” the group said.
“These four attacks are emblematic of Israel’s shocking disregard for civilian lives in Lebanon and their willingness to flout international law,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns.
“The Lebanese government must urgently call for a special session at the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism into the alleged violations and crimes committed by all parties in the conflict.”
