An Israeli Air Force aircraft hit an “engineering vehicle” in Southern Lebanon on Wednesday after Israeli forces spotted Hezbollah terrorists trying to rebuild infrastructure in the area in violation of the November ceasefire, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday morning.
“Despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to Southern Lebanon, the IDF remains determined to operate in accordance with the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and will work to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the statement stressed.
Earlier this week, Israeli forces struck a vehicle carrying Hezbollah terrorists who posed an imminent threat, the army said on Tuesday.
The IDF noted that troops are actively working to eliminate threats and dismantle Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Southern Lebanon, in accordance with the Nov. 26 ceasefire agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut, which was formally extended on Sunday until Feb. 18.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared on Monday that the terror group rejects any attempt to justify the delay of Jerusalem’s withdrawal.
On Friday, Jerusalem announced that its military pullout would take longer than the 60-day deadline set by the ceasefire agreement.
“The IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese Armed Forces deploying in Southern Lebanon, and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani [River],” said the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
“Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the State of Lebanon, the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States,” the statement continued.
Jerusalem “will not endanger its communities and citizens, and will insist on the full implementation of the objective of the fighting in the north, which is the safe return of residents to their homes,” it added.