US Reportedly Accuses Israel of Violating Ceasefire with Hezbollah

Follows similar reported accusation by France. Israeli Foreign Minister: ‘Israel is not violating the ceasefire understandings but is instead enforcing them in response to Hezbollah’s violations.’

By United with Israel and JNS

The US has warned Israel it is violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, Ynet reported, citing sources familiar with the details.

The sources claimed “there were Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, mainly the visible and audible return of Israeli drones in the skies over Beirut.” They said Amos Hochstein, who brokered the ceasefire, had accused Israel of the violations in a message to his counterparts in Jerusalem.

The sources added that “we need restraint from all sides” in order for the ceasefire to last.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar emphasized to his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot that Hezbollah terrorists must relocate north of the Litani River. Sa’ar warned that Jerusalem would continue to act against what he described as a “fundamental” breach of the ceasefire agreement.

In a tweet, Sa’ar stated that he had told Barrot during a telephone conversation that “Israel is not violating the ceasefire understandings but is instead enforcing them in response to Hezbollah’s violations.”

He reiterated Jerusalem’s commitment to fully implementing the agreement and made it clear that Israel “will not return to the reality of October 6, 2023,” the day before the Hamas-led massacre in the northwestern Negev which triggered the war in Gaza.

Paris, a member of the Washington-led monitoring mechanism overseeing the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement, had accused Jerusalem of committing 52 ceasefire violations, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday that cited French diplomatic sources.

The sources alleged that Israel had bypassed the established channels for reporting violations before taking action.

The reports also claim that three Lebanese civilians were killed and highlight an increase in Israeli drone activity, claiming that low-altitude flights over Beirut had resumed.

Paris is reportedly in ongoing communication with Lebanese Army Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati to address these developments.

“The Lebanese are fully committed to upholding the ceasefire and preventing Hezbollah from reestablishing its presence in southern Lebanon, but they need time to demonstrate their efforts,” a French official told Ynet on Sunday.

According to a separate report by i24NEWS on Sunday, Jerusalem stated that the agreement’s implementation mechanism “will begin to accelerate” on Monday and Tuesday. An Israeli diplomatic source emphasized that “any violation will be met with a significant response, as is already happening on the ground.”