Netanyahu vows "decisive" response after Hezbollah rockets violate ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire by launching rockets at the Mount Dov area in northern Israel.

"Hezbollah's shelling of the Mount Dov area is a gross violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond to it decisively, in full force," Netanyahu said in a statement released by the Prime Minister's office, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

He emphasized that Israel is "determined to continue to enforce the ceasefire and respond to any violation by Hezbollah, minor or major."

The attack, which took place on December 2, was the first since the ceasefire came into effect. According to the Israeli military, "the rockets landed in an unpopulated area" and "no casualties were reported."

Meanwhile, the US administration has said it will investigate any potential violations of the ceasefire. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, "With respect to violations or potential violations of the ceasefire, we have established a mechanism to look into that, where the US, along with France, will engage with the Israeli military as well as the Lebanese military to look into potential violations." 

Miller also acknowledged that, overall, the ceasefire has been "successful" in halting the fighting, adding, "Broadly speaking, it has successfully stopped the fighting and put us on a path where we are not seeing daily loss of life on the scale that we have seen for two months."

In addition, Japan expressed concern over the situation, with Deputy Cabinet Secretary-General Keiichiro Tachibana stating, "We are following the situation closely and with concern… Japan will continue to demand that all parties fully respect the ceasefire agreement, as well as take measures to ensure regional stability."

The ceasefire, which came into effect on November 27, was part of a US-French initiative. The agreement includes the deployment of the Lebanese army along the southern border with the support of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from South Lebanon within 60 days.

By Tamilla Hasanova