Replicating its military demarcation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) established a 10-kilometer-deep buffer zone, dubbed the “Yellow Line”, inside southern Lebanon.
The move came a couple of days after US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, April 16.
“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE. It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!” The US President added.
There cannot be a one-sided truce, says Hezbollah
However, Hezbollah harshly criticized the deal, saying “a truce with Israel cannot be one-sided”. The group also vowed to continue the resistance against the IOF in southern Lebanon, because Israel has not stopped its aggression on the Arab country, despite the ceasefire.
Although Israel has suspended its airstrikes on Lebanon, the IOF continued to engage in deadly clashes with Hezbollah in the buffer zone, which Israel controls in southern Lebanon.
“A ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities. Because we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters will remain in the field with their hands on the trigger, and they will respond to violations accordingly,” Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a statement on Saturday, April 18.
“There is no ceasefire from the side of the resistance only, it must be from both sides. We will not accept the fifteen-month path of patience in the face of Israeli aggression, while awaiting diplomacy that has achieved nothing,” the Hezbollah leader asserted.
Qassem also criticized the deal for being US-dictated and for constituting a humiliation for Lebanon after it was reached through direct talks with the “Israeli enemy”.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah lawmaker Hasan Fadlallah confirmed in an interview with AFP that “no one in the country or abroad can disarm the resistance group.”
Israel prevents residents of 55 villages within Yellow Line from returning to their homes
Alongside the continued aggression on southern Lebanon, Israel has also prevented the residents of 55 villages within the buffer zone from returning to their homes.
Analysts suggest that by doing so, Israel is carrying out another Nakba, but this time against the Lebanese people.
Read more: Apologies to all the people in Lebanon
Lebanese-American journalist, Rania Khalek, wrote on X:
“The Israelis are carrying out a Nakba in South Lebanon, openly and proudly for the world to see.
“They are gloating about it as they occupy villages, demolish and blow up homes and tell Lebanese residents they cannot return, and if they try they are killable.
“The world is watching and doing nothing, except for to condemn Hezbollah,” Khalek continued.
She further slammed the Lebanese government for “shutting its eyes, attacking Hezbollah and preparing for direct negotiations with Israel”, and considered its actions “a treacherous insult” to its people.
Khalek pointed out that “Israeli drones continue to terrorize” the rest of Lebanon, while the ceasefire is in place, warning that Israel’s violations will push the situation to “explode into another war.”
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