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Review of the Lebanese ceasefire on day 2, looking at statements from President Joseph Aon and Hezbollah leader Secretary-General Naim Qassem, along with news about the attack on a UNIFIL position, and other latest headlines.
Attack against UNIFIL in southern Lebanon:
French President Emmanuel Macron took to X to state that Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban fell on Saturday morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL, adding that three of his brothers were wounded and had been evacuated.
Macron added that everything suggested the responsibility for the attack lied with Hezbollah, stating that France demanded the Lebanese authorities to immediately arrest the perpetrators and take their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL.
UNIFIL also published a statement: “This morning, a UNIFIL patrol clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghanduriyah to re-establish links with isolated UNIFIL positions came under small-arms fire from non-state actors.
“Tragically, one peacekeeper succumbed to his injuries and three others were injured, two of them seriously. The two injured peacekeepers have been taken to medical facilities for treatment.”
The Lebanese Army condemned the incident saying it maintained close coordination with UNIFIL during this sensitive phase and had opened an investigation to determine the circumstances and to arrest those involved.
Israel Army Radio said the location of where the solider had been killed lied south of the Litani River and was very close to the IDF’s ‘Yellow Line’ – just 2.5km from the village of Qantara, where Israeli forces are operating, which they claimed underscored that Hezbollah continued to operate south of the Litani, in close proximity to IDF troops.
Hezbollah denied any connection with the incident, calling for caution before making judgements and assigning blame for the incident pending the Lebanese Army’s investigation to determine the full circumstances, also emphasising the continued cooperation between the local population, UNIFIL, and the Lebanese Army, stressing the necessity of coordination between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in their movements, especially in these delicate circumstances.
Lebanon Presidential Address:
President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon spoke to the Lebanese people saying that they had endured a great deal including accusations, insults and misinformation, but they didn’t back down and it became clear they were right, thanking everyone who contributed to the ceasefire, including Donald Trump and all Arab partners, including Saudi Arabia.
“We are entering a new phase,” Aoun continued, stating that moving from a ceasefire to permanent agreements would protect rights, sovereignty and territorial unity: “We are confident we will save Lebanon, even as we expect continued attacks against us.”
Aoun said that for the first time in almost half a century, ‘we have reclaimed Lebanon’s decision-making and are negotiating our own terms,’ adding that Lebanon was no longer a tool or battleground and will not return to that reality.
“Negotiations are not weakness or concessions, but a decision rooted in strength, responsibility, and prioritising Lebanon above all else,” Aoun continued, stating that negotiations would not compromise rights, principals or sovereignty: “We have lost thousands of Lebanese, and we will not allow more Lebanese to die for the interests or power struggles of others.”
Concluding, Aoun said that his mission was clear: “To save Lebanon and its people,” stating that he was committed to doing this with full conviction: “This suffering will not be our permanent fate, and no agreement will undermine our national rights, dignity or territory.”
Resistance Response:
During a press conference, Lebanese MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, delivered a forceful rejection of both American involvement and any direct talks with Israel.
Hassan emphasised that Lebanon owed nothing but gratitude to the United States, accusing it of ‘continuing to arm and politically shield Israel, insisting the only outcome and demand is ‘a full Israeli withdrawal from our land and a complete cessation of aggression, with no operational freedom for the ‘enemy’ under American cover.
The MP further stressed that forcibly displaced citizens must return to their homes ‘with dignity, without conditions, buffer zones or security belts, and without any arrangements with the enemy,’ while declaring utter ‘rejection to humiliating negotiations with the enemy before or after a ceasefire,’ warning that they would ‘only lead to further concessions.’
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem said the temporary ceasefire in Lebanon wouldn’t have been achieved without the resistance’s legendary performance, and that Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to US violations, which forced Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon.
Qassem criticised a US State Department ceasefire statement issued after the truce took effect, calling it an insult to Lebanon and noting that the Lebanese government hadn’t met or approved it, demanding a complete halt to hostilities, Israel to withdraw to the border, prisoner releases, the return of displaced residents, and reconstruction, adding that Hezbollah don’t trust the enemy and would keep its hands on the trigger, responding to any violations.
General News:
Israel panicked after US President Donald Trump said they were ‘prohibited’ from carrying out further airstrikes in Lebanon in a Truth Social statement, which appeared to contradict the ceasefire terms agreed that allowed Israel to respond to ‘threats’. reported Axios.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his advisers were shocked after learning the comment through the media, prompting officials, including Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, to urgently seek clarification to determine whether the US policy had changed, and the US clarified their position hadn’t changed at all.
Axios’ clarification stated: “The President’s ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its rights to self-defence against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”
Hezbollah official Nawaf al-Moussawi, responsible for resources and borders, said the group would respond in ‘its own appropriate way’ to any Israeli ceasefire negotiation: “We will not go back, we will not remain silent about assassinations and bombings as before the campaign – this is not up for discussion,” he stated, warning that if Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, he would lose his status as President.
Brazil’s President Lula said that the world is spending $2.7 trillion on weapons while people go hungry and that can’t be allowed to happen, or that we talk about decarbonising the planet while bombs are being dropped every single day, adding that Lebanon cannot be the victim of every war that Israel makes with someone, because the last shot always ends up in Lebanon.
Israel Defence Forces said they carried out multiple strikes in Lebanon on Friday targeting Hezbollah operatives it claimed violated ceasefire terms.
During the early hours, Israel demolition activity had been observed across the city of Bint Jbeil, Khiam, Naqoura, and Al Bayda, which shook neighbouring towns and cities including Sidon, as non-stop Israeli military activity and explosions were heard across southern Lebanon.
According to the military, troops operating south of the ‘Yellow Line’ in southern Lebanon identified fighters approaching in a way that posed an immediate threat, prompting airstrikes and ground action in several areas to neutralise them, and artillery fire was also used to support troops, leading to infrastructure linked to Hezbollah being destroyed.
Soon after images appeared online showing Khiam under a total lockdown following Israeli forces blocking and sealing entrances to the town with earth barriers, preventing access in and out the city, the Israeli army were reported to be carrying out a bombing operation, reported Lebanese Intel and WarsaWitness.
An Israeli soldier was killed and five others injured after an improvised explosive device detonated in southern Lebanon yesterday – the soldier killed in southern Lebanon worked for Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and was serving in the reserves.
Following the ceasefire violations by the IDF, Hezbollah political deputy Mahmoud Qamati walked to the streets of Dahieh warning people: “This is a temporary ceasefire, do not return or settle in Dahieh or the south, the enemy always stabs in the back to take a breath but stay on alert,’ and follow2ing Hezbollah’s announcement, many southerners once again headed north.
The IDF was demolishing civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon to establish a no man’s land, which is similar to the step also taken before the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah which was signed in November 2024.
Israel’s military claimed to have killed several alleged Hezbollah members who violated ceasefire understandings in southern Lebanon and posed immediate threats to troops in southern Lebanon, causing the IAF to target an armed group of forces south of the forward yellow line, while in a separate incident, the IDF said it had targeted a Hezbollah tunnel shaft after identifying militants entering it.
US sources told Lebanese MTV: “Contacts between Washington and Baabda continue, with another call expected between Aoun and Trump, as Washington signals red lines including rejecting the revival of the 1949 armistice.”
