A week after Israel announced its acceptance of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah, the fragile peace was put to the test. On Monday, Dec. 2, Hezbollah launched mortars into northern Israeli territory, forcing the Israel Air Force (IAF) to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon. The following day, Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if Hezbollah continues to breach the ceasefire agreement and the Lebanese Army (LAF) fails to enforce it, Israel will not distinguish between Hezbollah militants and their Lebanese hosts in future attacks.

“We will work with all our might to enforce all the understandings of the ceasefire agreement, and we show maximum response and zero tolerance,” Katz reiterated during a recent visit to the north of Israel. “Yesterday was the first test,” he continued, referring to the mortar fire, “[and] we reacted strongly, and this is exactly what we will do, and we will not allow Hezbollah to return to the old methods they had.”
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal arrived in the Middle East two weeks ago when Special Envoy Amos Hochstein negotiated between Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — speaking on behalf of Hezbollah — and officials in Jerusalem. On the night of Nov. 26, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the cabinet accepted the deal, and a ceasefire went into effect the following morning.
The stipulations require that within 60 days Hezbollah withdraw north of the Litani River and for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon behind the “Blue Line” Israel-Lebanese border. The LAF, with support from U.N. peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL), will stand in as the sole armed force between the river and the border to ensure the withdrawal of both parties. An international committee of European and Arab delegates, commanded by the U.S. and France, will oversee the peace process and support the LAF and UNIFIL mission.
The deal is a mirror image of the failed U.N. Resolution 1701 drafted at the end of the last Is...