On December 2nd, five days after the implementation of the ceasefire, the Lebanese Resistance released an official statement, its first since the cessation of hostilities, declaring in part that because of the repeated violations, “the Islamic Resistance carried out an initial warning defensive response this evening,” targeting an Israeli army site at Ruwaysat al-Alam in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba Hills. On January 1st, Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamedeh told Al Mayadeen that “on the 61st day after the ceasefire, we will be in a position to make the Israeli enemy taste our wrath” and that, should Israel take any steps against Lebanon from the eastern side, “we will carry out our national duty.”
The violations of the ceasefire have been one sided, with the Lebanese Resistance abiding by the obligations it negotiated in November. “The position of the resistance to remain calm has been an intelligent one,” a man from the village of Khiam told Splinter. “Only time will tell what awaits us, but we are steadfast in our allegiance to our resistance. No one wants the war to reopen, but we are also aware that the United States and Israel wish to see our nation beholden to its whims and its plans, and we reject this kind of humiliation. This is a battle not just for Lebanon and Palestine, but for the heart of this region.”
Hala Jaber, six-time award winning former senior journalist of the Sunday Times, and author of books on Hezbollah and Iraq, told Splinter that should Israel remain inside Lebanese territories, the ceasefire will not hold. “We will see Hezbollah resume resistance with new rules of engagement,” she said. “In other words, it will revert to armed struggle against Israeli occupiers on Lebanese territories, as was the case prior to Israel’s 2000 withdrawal. Only now Hezbollah is much better trained, experienced and equipped than in those earlier years. The right to resist an occupation, including armed struggle, is a universally recognized human right and in doing so, no western country or Lebanese opposition can accuse Hezbollah of aggressing.”
Despite the precariousness of the current situation, not everyone doubts the ceasefire’s durability. Lebanese commentator and author Hassan al Dorr told Splinter that he believes the ceasefire will hold, and that there will be no expansion of the war. This would mean a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese land, and a total cessation of hostilities, which includes the aerial campaigns that still target southern Lebanese villages.
In a statement given to reporters on January 6th, United States envoy Amos Hochstein promised the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon by January 26th. “The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqoura, most of the western sector and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line. These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely.” Hochstein made no mention of the nearly daily Israeli ceasefire violations, nor any mention of Israel’s killing of Lebanese civilians, and did not discuss recent comments by Israel that the entity may “reconsider” the terms of its withdrawal. As the ceasefire with Hamas unfolds in the coming weeks, these attacks in Lebanon by Israel in defiance the negotiated ceasefire are worth keeping in mind.
After visiting the village of Khiam, one of many southern Lebanese villages which has been ravaged by Israeli airstrikes, one can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the destructive possibility of reopening the Northern Front. Villagers across the South, who are slowly rebuilding their homes despite Israel’s attacks and aerial reconnaissance, are confident in the ability of the Lebanese Resistance to defend them, while also remaining hopeful that the ceasefire will hold steady. One thing is certain, should Israel remain beyond the 60-day ceasefire in violation of the agreement, the Lebanese Resistance has vowed to respond, and in the words of Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem: “The 61st day will be much different than the 60th.”
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