Israel will keep troops in Lebanon despite ceasefire

There were more than 150 attacks carried out against the region in response to the deaths of the soldiers. The Israeli army said the Hezbollah attack that killed the country’s soldiers hit a tank near the city of Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks and said the action threatened efforts to end the fighting in the country.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces had struck more than 80 targets and killed dozens of Hezbollah terrorists in the group’s strongholds in the northern Bekaa Valley and the Nabatieh region in southern Lebanon. Katz confirmed that Friday’s attacks were a direct response to the deaths of the four Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli minister also confirmed that the Army will remain in its “security zone” in southern Lebanon. According to the minister, any violation of the new ceasefire by Hezbollah will be responded to with force.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the attacks. According to him, Israel will not tolerate attacks against its soldiers or its territory and will charge Hezbollah a “very high price” for actions of this type.

The new truce between Israel and Hezbollah was brokered by the United States and Qatar. According to information released by Reutersa senior American official said the parties had reached a new understanding to try to contain the escalation.

Despite this, Israeli authorities indicated that the ceasefire does not mean military withdrawal from the territory. Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said troops maintain “complete freedom of action” to confront threats in southern Lebanon.