Washington [US], November 30: The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement has not been able to immediately cool down the Middle East, as many hot spots of conflict have continuously appeared.#
When the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was agreed, observers hoped that the bombardment would temporarily subside on one front, and diplomats would focus on reaching a solution to cool the situation in the Gaza Strip . But just one day after the ceasefire took effect, Israel launched a raid on Lebanon.
Fragile ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on November 28 that Tel Aviv would take a "fierce" military action if Hezbollah violated the ceasefire agreement. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military announced that it had deployed air force to attack a Hezbollah facility in southern Lebanon that was hiding medium-range missiles, marking the first time Tel Aviv has attacked Lebanon since the ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect on November 27. Israel and Hezbollah have blamed each other for violating the agreement, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire. Prime Minister Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 14 that the agreement could be short-lived.
However, both Israel and Hezbollah are currently said to be reluctant to immediately return to full-scale fighting. Al Jazeera quoted Professor Mohamad Elmasry, from the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies (Qatar), as saying that the ceasefire could be maintained because both Israel and Hezbollah have strong incentives to pause fighting. Mr. Elmasry said Israel is the one who benefits more because it can now focus its efforts on other regional rivals. The New York Times reported that after months of fire and smoke, most of Lebanon and northern Israel experienced calm on November 28.
Some families have returned to their homes in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, but many areas are badly damaged and without electricity or running water. Tyre Mayor Hassan Dbouk said there were hardly any homes left intact. "Residents returned during the day but left at night, when the whole city had no water and the heavily hit areas had no electricity," Dbouk told AFP. Meanwhile, families in northern Israel are left with a mixture of hope and doubt over how long the deal will last and whether they will actually be safe during the 60-day ceasefire.
Fighting in many places
As the Lebanon ceasefire comes into effect, the question on many minds is when the same will happen in Gaza. In this regard, Mr. Netanyahu said that he is ready to accept a ceasefire with Hamas "at any time", but emphasized that he does not agree to end the war and will only agree if Hamas guarantees the release of hostages.
Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Gaza on November 28, while ground forces advanced deep into the strip. This was seen as a military move to increase pressure and create an advantage in the event of negotiations with Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the situation in Gaza had changed in Israel's favor, as it had both divided the fronts against Tel Aviv and carried out operations to destroy high-level targets of its opponents, including the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in October. The Times of Israel reported yesterday that Hamas may make some concessions in order to reach a ceasefire and hostage exchange with Israel.
In other developments in the Middle East, tensions escalated in Syria, as rebel groups launched a large-scale attack on areas controlled by the Syrian army in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib on November 27, in an attempt to counter the military operations of the Syrian armed forces. The most serious fighting in recent years between the Syrian army and rebels over the past three days has left at least 180 people dead.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper