Nearly a week into the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, tensions on the ground remain high.
“You need to calm down,” US officials reportedly told Israeli counterparts in recent days, according to a source familiar with the discussions. This comes amid daily scuffles that Israel claims are Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire, including reports of Hezbollah operatives patrolling the border area and rebuilding rocket storage sites.
The frustration expressed by the United States and France, co-chairs of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, extends beyond Israeli airstrikes. Both nations view the return of Israeli drones over Beirut as a violation of the ceasefire.
“We have warned both sides – Israel and Hezbollah – against actions that jeopardize the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” officials told The Jerusalem Post.
This “both sides” approach has sparked anger within Israel’s diplomatic and military leadership. “The presence of Hezbollah terrorists south of the Litani River is a fundamental violation of the agreement. They must move north,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, during a heated phone call,“Israel does not violate the terms of the ceasefire. On the contrary, we enforce them in the face of Hezbollah’s violations, which demand immediate responses,”
Barrot countered. “All parties must respect the ceasefire. We are making great efforts in this matter alongside the US.”
Behind the scenes
Behind the scenes, Israeli officials are increasingly critical of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, claiming it is ineffective.
Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers, commander of Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), recently traveled to Beirut to address these concerns and pressure the Lebanese Armed Forces to expedite their deployment in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed senior IDF officials to respond decisively to any ceasefire violations. “If there is a violation, do not hesitate – respond,” Katz said.
Despite the mounting tensions, US officials remain cautiously optimistic that the ceasefire will hold. A diplomatic source told the Post that, while the situation is fragile, they do not believe the agreement is on the verge of collapse.
Still, with less than a week into the ceasefire and long before the 60-day trial period concludes, the situation on Israel’s northern border appears more precarious than ever.