Cautious calm engulfs south Lebanon as ceasefire appears to hold
Cautious calm has been engulfing south Lebanon since Saturday, after Israel's political leadership ordered its army to cease its operations, reportedly following intense U.S. pressure to do so.
An Israeli army official said Saturday that the military had received orders from the political leadership to halt fighting in southern Lebanon, where its forces had continued clashing with Hezbollah fighters despite a previous ceasefire.
The announcement followed intense clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, with both sides accusing the other of breaching the U.S. renewed ceasefire.
"The IDF (Israeli army) has received updated directives from the political echelon to cease fire," the Israeli official said in a statement.
"The IDF (army) is not conducting proactive strikes, rather the IDF is only operating in a defensive manner within the security zone" in southern Lebanon, the official said.
"These defensive activities include the right to respond if Hezbollah does not abide by the ceasefire and continues to target our troops or our civilians," the official added.
The official said the military was operating in the area of Kfartebnit which contains "terrorist infrastructure."
"This includes significant underground infrastructure that directly threatens Israeli troops and civilians," the official said.
"The terrorist infrastructure that the IDF (army) targets is substantial and serves as a major Hezbollah stronghold, particularly for Hezbollah's Badr Unit. It extends more than one kilometer underground and spans hundreds of kilometers," the official added.
Israeli strikes on Friday and Saturday killed around 100 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched "more than 50 rockets" at Israeli forces.
The Istaeli military said it lost five soldiers over the past 60 hours in fighting in southern Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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