Israel warns that if the truce with Hezbollah collapses it will not distinguish between the group’s objectives and the Lebanese

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned that if Lebanon does not guarantee that the ceasefire agreement reached with the Shiite group Hezbollah is respected, Israel will do so “with maximum force and zero tolerance,” according to statements collected. by the newspaper Haaretz. That agreement came into force last Wednesday morning and both parties have accused each other of violating it on several occasions.

“If we return to war, we will act with force, we will go deeper and, the most important thing you should know, is that there will be no more exemptions for the State of Lebanon,” stated the head of Defense, according to the EFE Agency.

Katz made these warnings during a visit to the border with Lebanon, in the north of the country, after yesterday, Monday, Hezbollah attacked Israel for the first time since the fragile truce came into force. In response to this attack, claimed by the militia itself, Israeli aircraft attacked the Lebanese towns of Yaroun, Maron al Ras and Hanin, according to local media. “We responded strongly and that is exactly what we will do, and we will not allow Hezbollah to return to its old ways,” the minister said.

He has also sent a message to the Lebanese Government, which “must authorize the Army to apply its part of the agreement [de alto el fuego]pushing Hezbollah beyond the Litani River and dismantling its infrastructure” in the border area with Israel. Katz has referred to the river north of which Israeli authorities are asking Hezbollah to withdraw.

Since the truce began on November 27 at 4:00 local time (3:00 in Spain), Israel has attacked southern Lebanon numerous times, as well as some positions in the eastern Bekaa Valley, alleging that it does to ensure compliance with the ceasefire by bombing Hezbollah positions. Israeli troops should leave Lebanese territory in the current phase of the truce, to demilitarize the south of the country in 60 days.

For its part, the Lebanese Army announced this Tuesday a recruitment process for volunteers to serve as soldiers in the units that it will deploy on the border with Israel in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. , which has not detailed the number of soldiers it intends to recruit.

“The number necessary to be recruited into the Army will preferably be chosen, according to the need and conditions determined by the Command at the time,” adds the statement, cited by EFE. Among the conditions, volunteers must be between 18 and 25 years old, be single, widowed without children or divorced without children, and commit to disassociate themselves from any association or political party.