Israel Will Show ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Lebanon Ceasefire Violations, Defense Chief Tells UN Envoy

Israel will have “zero tolerance” for any breach of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon and is prepared to act “with great force” in response to any such violations, Israel’s defense chief said on Tuesday.

“We will act against any threat, anytime, and anywhere,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN’s special envoy for Lebanon, when meeting her in Tel Aviv, according a statement from his office.

Katz also demanded “effective enforcement” from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the international peacekeeping organization in the country.

“If you don’t do it, we will, and with great force,” he said, according to the Israeli readout.

“Every house in southern Lebanon that is rebuilt and in which a terrorist base is established will be demolished, every rearming and regrouping by terrorists will be attacked, every attempt to smuggle weapons will be thwarted, and every threat to our forces or Israeli citizens will be immediately destroyed,” the Israeli defense chief added in his meeting.

Katz’s comments came hours before Israel’s security cabinet was expected to approve a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Islamist group that wields significant influence across Lebanon.

Hezbollah has been launching barrages of rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel from neighboring Lebanon almost daily since Oct. 8 of last year, one day after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s invasion of the Jewish state from Gaza to the south.

The relentless attacks from Hezbollah have forced tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes in the north, and Israel has pledged to ensure their safe return.

Israel had been exchanging fire with Hezbollah but drastically escalated its military operations over the last two months, seeking to push the terrorist army further away from the border with Lebanon.

The US and France have been seeking to broker a ceasefire for months.

Diplomacy has largely focused on restoring and enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Hezbollah’s withdrawal to north of the Litani River (around 30 km, or 19 miles, from the Israeli border) and the disarmament of its forces in southern Lebanon, with the buffer zone under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.

Israel has insisted on retaining the right to conduct military operations against Hezbollah if the group attempts to rearm or rebuild its infrastructure — a stipulation that has met resistance from Lebanese officials, who argue it infringes on national sovereignty. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon has said Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement.

During his meeting with the UN’s special envoy for Lebanon on Tuesday, Katz stressed that the implementation of the ceasefire must include effective enforcement and oversight, including preventing arms smuggling and domestic arms production by Hezbollah.

Retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi — who leads the Israel Defense and Security Forum, a group of former military commanders — recently told The Algemeiner that any deal must include Iran’s “full exit” from Lebanon and Israel’s freedom of action to prevent any future buildup of Hezbollah. Otherwise, he warned, the agreement would be “devastating” for the Jewish state.

Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker, Elias Bou Saab, told Reuters the proposal under discussion would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese army troops deploying in the border region, long a Hezbollah stronghold, within 60 days.

He added that a sticking point over who would monitor compliance with the ceasefire was resolved in the last couple days, with an agreement to set up a five-country committee, including France and chaired by the United States.

Nabih Berri, the Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese parliamentary speaker, has been leading the Iran-backed terrorist group’s mediation efforts.

According to reports, Hezbollah will relocate its “heavy weapons” north of the Litani River as part of the expected ceasefire, and Israel has pledged to limit military action against violations by the Iranian proxy to situations where the Lebanese military fails to neutralize the threat, and only after consulting with the US.

In Washington, DC, American officials said on Monday that a truce was close but finalized.

“We don’t believe we have an agreement yet. We believe we’re close to an agreement. We believe that we have narrowed the gaps significantly, but there are still steps that we need to see taken. We hope that we can get there,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a press briefing.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby expressed similar sentiments.

“We’re close,” he told reporters, but “nothing is done until everything is done.”

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