The fragile calm has broken. Hezbollah violated the ceasefire hours after it was meant to take hold. A rocket strike hit an Israeli border town. The IDF responded with artillery. Now the entire region holds its breath.
Whitehall sources confirm British peacekeepers with UNIFIL are on heightened alert. No casualties reported among the UK contingent. But the situation is fluid. A defence source told me: 'We are monitoring every second. The green line just turned red.'
This is a nightmare scenario for the Foreign Office. Months of backchannel diplomacy. Heavy lifting by the Americans and French. All unravelling because one faction decided the deal wasn't for them.
The PM is being briefed hourly. No statement yet. Expect a call for restraint later today. But the game has changed. Hezbollah has shown its hand. They are not interested in peace. They want escalation.
For British troops on the ground, it means a new level of risk. The blue helmets are now in the crossfire. Westminster will be asking: how did we get here? The answer is simple. Hezbollah never truly signed up. They just waited for the right moment to tear it up.
This is a big test for the UK's Middle East policy. Will we stay or will we pull out? The MOD is already planning contingency. No one wants another Srebrenica. But the political will to stay is fragile. The hawks will say we are sitting ducks. The doves will say we must hold the line.
I am told the Foreign Secretary is furious. He believed the deal was airtight. He was wrong. The intelligence failure here is staggering. Was no one watching the rocket depots? Did no one read the room?
The next 48 hours will decide. If the ceasefire can be resurrected, fine. If not, we are looking at a wider war. And British troops are right in the middle of it.
One thing is certain. The diplomatic game is over. Now it's about survival.
Eleanor Rigby, Political Bureau Chief
