Lebanon says Israel rejects proposal to inspect Beirut suburb sites ahead of airstrikes

By Stephanie Rady and Ikram Kouachi

BEIRUT/ANKARA (AA) - The Lebanese army announced on Friday that Israel rejected its proposal to inspect sites in the southern suburbs of Beirut to prevent airstrikes warning that continued violations of the ceasefire deal may lead to a suspension of cooperation with the UN ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

In a statement, the Lebanese army accused Israel of “persisting in its aggression against Lebanon,” citing recent airstrikes targeting Beirut’s southern suburb and southern Lebanon late Thursday.

“Despite our coordination efforts with the monitoring committee to prevent an attack, and dispatching patrols to inspect several sites, the Israeli side rejected the proposal,” the army stated.

On Thursday evening, Israeli fighter jets launched eight airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburb, following evacuation warnings. The attack marked the fourth and most intense Israeli strike on the area since the Nov. 27, 2024 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

In parallel, Israeli warplanes and drones carried out two more strikes on the town of Ain Qana in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese military condemned the attacks, reiterating its commitment to the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which established the ceasefire in the aftermath of the 2006 war between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel. The resolution called for the cessation of hostilities, the deployment of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, and support for the Lebanese army’s control over the southern region.

“The enemy’s continued breach of the agreement and refusal to cooperate with the monitoring committee weakens the role of both the committee and the army,” the military said, warning that this may prompt the army to “freeze cooperation with the committee regarding site inspections.”

Israel launched a wide-scale assault on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, escalating into a full-scale war by Sept. 23, 2024. According to official data, the conflict has killed more than 4,000 people, wounded over 17,000, and displaced nearly 1.4 million.

Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached last November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 208 people and injuries to more than 500 since the agreement.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.