US Statement on Lebanon Ceasefire Leaves Major Loophole That Israel May Exploit to Continue Attacks
Hours after the ceasefire was supposed to go into
effect, the Lebanese army reported Israeli violations
by Dave DeCamp | April 16, 2026
A statement from
the US State Department on the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that went into
effect at 5 pm EST on Thursday includes language that Israel will likely
exploit to continue attacks on the country.
The statement says that Israel
“shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at
any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” Israel frequently
claims its attacks on Lebanon, Gaza, and elsewhere in the region are a response
to some sort of threat, even when it’s clear there was none, and the US has
historically tolerated major Israeli ceasefire violations.
Similar language was
included in
a side deal between the US and Israel on the November 2024 Lebanon
ceasefire deal, which Israel went on to constantly violate with strikes,
surveillance flights, and ground operations, killing hundreds of people. During
that same period, Hezbollah didn’t fire any rockets toward Israel until after
the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.
Just hours after the new
ceasefire was supposed to go into effect, the Lebanese military said in a
statement that there had been “a number” of Israeli violations.
“The army command renews its
call to citizens to exercise caution in returning to the southern villages and
towns, amid a number of violations of the agreement, with several Israeli
attacks recorded, in addition to intermittent shelling targeting a number of
villages,” the Lebanese army said in a
post on X early Friday morning, Lebanon time.
In the hours leading up to the
ceasefire, Israel escalated its airstrikes across Lebanon, and Hezbollah also
launched several rocket attacks against Israeli forces in Lebanon and against targets in northern
Israel. The IDF also destroyed
the last bridge across the Litani River as it wants to prevent
displaced Lebanese civilians from returning to southern Lebanon and is planning
a long-term occupation in the area.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario