Tensions are mounting in Lebanon amid a fragile ceasefire after the Israeli military announced on Saturday its plan to extend the territories it occupies in southern Lebanon as part of it's so-called 'buffer zone', a move Hezbollah says goes against the recently agreed truce.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has sought to incorporate 55 destroyed towns and villages into this new "Yellow Line," which it said marks the northern edge of the "security zone" it has established along the border with Lebanon.
Lebanese residents have been warned against returning to their homes within this area, with Israel announcing that anyone who approaches the so-called "Yellow Line" will be considered a threat. At least one person has been reportedly killed so far.
This comes despite a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon coming into effect at midnight Friday local time, following an earlier announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with its actions near the border, after 39 villages in southern Lebanon have been destroyed since the truce began.
"There are some violations of the ceasefire being committed by the Israeli Defense Forces. They are striking villages surrounding the territories they occupied, as well as bombarding houses. These aggressions are violations of the ceasefire that was regionally and internationally endorsed," said Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the Lebanese Parliament and Hezbollah Representative.
Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem has stressed that the ceasefire with Israel must mean a complete halt to aggression, warning the group will retaliate against any Israeli violations in southern Lebanon.
The situation comes as a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the region, as a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to end on Wednesday. A possible second round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan's Islamabad also remains up in the air, but Fadlallah said that communications are ongoing with Iran to ensure these concerns are addressed through these diplomatic avenues.
"We communicated with Iran to raise these violations through Pakistani channels to pressure the United States. The resistance is also studying the options it may resort to. It won't allow such violations to continue. The decision will be taken based on the evaluation of the status in the battle zone," he said.
While the recent developments saw the Lebanese and Israeli governments hold their first direct talks in decades in Washington, D.C., last week, analysts remain concerned that the long-standing issues between the two sides will not be easily resolved on the ground.
"When Hezbollah took Lebanon into this war, it forced the authorities into a corner, leaving them no option but to negotiate directly. Throughout previous wars, the state refused direct negotiations. It insisted on returning hostages and liberating the five points they took. That is a territorial dispute that can be normal between any two countries - but how can that be resolved with an enemy, a criminal, an aggressor state like Israel?" said Mohamed Barakat, a Lebanese political analyst.
Hezbollah accuses Israel of ceasefire violations as IDF extends occupied Lebanese territory
