Israeli warplanes struck targets in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the first such attack since the signing of a controversial maritime boundary agreement between Beirut and Jerusalem. The strikes came hours after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denounced the deal as a “historic capitulation” and vowed to resist any further encroachment on Lebanese sovereignty.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had hit “terrorist infrastructure” in the area of Kafr Kila, a village near the Blue Line demarcating the border. No casualties were reported, but the strikes sent a plume of smoke visible from several kilometres away.
The escalation threatens to unravel the US-brokered deal, which was meant to ease tensions over disputed gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean. Under the accord, Lebanon gains full rights to the Qana field, while Israel retains control over the Karish field. Both sides had hailed the agreement as a diplomatic breakthrough.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia militia and political party, had earlier warned that it would not be bound by the deal. In a televised speech, Nasrallah accused the Lebanese government of surrendering to Israeli pressure and said his group would defend Lebanon’s “honour and resources”.
The British contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been put on heightened alert, defence sources told The Times. Around 120 British peacekeepers are stationed in the area as part of the 10,000-strong force that monitors the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“The situation remains volatile, and we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our personnel,” a UNIFIL spokesperson said. “We urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the Blue Line.”
The strikes come as Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid faces a tough election campaign, with his security credentials under scrutiny from rivals on the right. Analysts say the show of force may also be designed to deter Hezbollah from testing the new maritime arrangement.
In Beirut, the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the strikes as a “flagrant violation” of the UN-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it would file a complaint with the UN Security Council.
But the deeper tension appears to be between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state. The group has long acted as a state within a state, with its own military apparatus and political agenda. Many Lebanese fear that the maritime deal, while economically beneficial, could strengthen Hezbollah’s hand and drag Lebanon into another destructive conflict with Israel.
“This is a dangerous moment,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. “Hezbollah is signalling that it can undermine any agreement it does not approve of. The government is effectively powerless to stop them.”
The United States, which mediated the maritime deal, called for calm. “We are monitoring the situation closely,” said a State Department spokesman. “It is critical that all parties adhere to the terms of the agreement and avoid any provocations.”
For now, the ceasefire holds. But the events of the past 24 hours have exposed the fragility of the new arrangement and the enduring power of Hezbollah’s guns.
