Explosions and demolitions on the first day of the Lebanon truce… and concern from Emmanuel Macron
Friday morning in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam did not unfold as expected on the first day of the truce with Israel.
The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday (21:00 GMT).
This followed hours after it was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, who also said that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet at the White House in the coming days.
However, even before the truce took effect, Israeli emergency services reported that two people were injured in the north of the country, one of them seriously, as a result of rockets fired from southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army, for its part, announced that it had struck Hezbollah rocket launch platforms in Lebanon.
Explosions and demolitions
On Friday morning, the Israeli army carried out artillery and machine-gun fire on the town of Kounine and conducted demolition and blasting operations on homes in the southern town of Khiam, according to media reports.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli forces fired an artillery shell and machine-gun bursts toward a rescue team belonging to the “Islamic Health Authority” affiliated with Hezbollah in Kounine, noting that there were casualties.
The agency also reported that the Israeli army carried out a large-scale booby-trapping and demolition operation in Khiam, in southern Lebanon.
French concern
In light of these developments, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern on Friday that “the continuation of military operations” could threaten the ceasefire.
In a post on the X platform, Macron said: “I call for ensuring the safety of civilians on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah must lay down its arms. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and end the war.”
Trump’s announcement of the truce came two days after the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States held their first direct talks in decades in Washington, during which they agreed to hold direct negotiations at a later date.
On Thursday, Trump expressed hope that Hezbollah would “behave well” during the ceasefire period, adding, “It would be a great moment for them if they did. No more killing.”
Netanyahu, for his part, said that Israel had agreed to the truce for ten days but would maintain a “security zone” ten kilometers deep along the southern Lebanese border.
He noted that Israel had set two conditions for the ceasefire: Hezbollah’s disarmament and a lasting peace agreement “based on strength.”
He considered that the ceasefire represented an opportunity for a “historic peace” with Lebanon.
