Israel and Hezbollah Accuse Each Other of Ceasefire Violations
The Facts
An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire appeared to hold into its third day on Friday. While no new violations were reported overnight, Israel and Hezbollah traded blame for a number of incidents over the past two days.
The exchange of accusations highlighted the fragility of the 60-day agreement brokered by the US and France that went into effect on Wednesday morning.
The Spin
After a lot of achievements and hard work in Lebanon, Hezbollah was severely weakened and forced to accept this agreement that will keep its operatives from Israel's borders. Nonetheless, Israel remains on guard for any violations of the ceasefire agreement and will swiftly respond to them.
While this shaky peace deal may at least bring some respite from destruction and bloodshed in southern Lebanon, the reality is that Israel's military will now refocus its efforts on the Gaza war which it has fought concurrently. The Palestinians in Gaza, who are already facing a worse humanitarian crisis than the Lebanese, will now feel further devastation.
