Hezbollah chief says ready to respond to Israeli ceasefire violations

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Saturday that the group is prepared to respond to Israeli violations of their Lebanon ceasefire even before the expiry of a 60-day deadline for Israel to withdraw.

The fragile truce, which took effect on November 27 after two months of full-blown war, has been marked by mutual accusations of violations from both sides.

“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.

But he underlined that “this does not mean that we will wait the 60 days”.

“The leadership of the resistance determines when to exercise patience, when to take initiative and when to respond,” he said.

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.