The Israeli army committed 8 violations of the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon on Friday, bringing the total number of violations since the agreement went into effect 31 days ago to 319.

According to various news published by the official Lebanese News Agency, today's violations were concentrated in the Bint Jbeil district in the Nabatieh Governorate (south), the Tyre district in the South Governorate (south), and the Zahle district in the Bekaa Governorate (east).

The violations included shelling by warplanes and artillery, and the demolition of homes. In the Bint Jbeil district, the Israeli artillery launched two consecutive shellings on the town of Aita al-Shaab, and in the Tyre district, the Israeli army carried out new demolition operations on homes in the towns of Yaroun and Naqoura.

In the skies of Zahle district, Israeli warplanes were recorded flying at a low altitude, before later targeting 3 sites in the forests of the town of Qousaya.

Release of two Syrians

On the other hand, Israel released on Friday two Syrians who were arrested by the Israeli army on Thursday in southern Lebanon.

The official Lebanese News Agency said that Israeli forces released the two Syrian detainees, Ahmed Amin and Taher Remi, who were kidnapped yesterday, Thursday, from Wadi al-Hujayr in southern Lebanon.

The agency indicated that the Israeli army handed over the two freed men to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Israeli Abbad site, and then the Lebanese Red Cross received them.

On Thursday, the Lebanese army said in a statement that Israeli army vehicles had penetrated several areas in the south of the country, in a continuation of violating the ceasefire agreement and attacking Lebanon's sovereignty.

The official Lebanese News Agency reported at the time that Israeli army vehicles had penetrated through Wadi al-Hujayr into the town of Qantara in southern Lebanon.

French visit

Meanwhile, French Ministers of the Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs, Sébastien Lecornu and Jean-Noël Barrot, will visit Lebanon from Monday to Wednesday to meet with French soldiers in the UNIFIL force on the occasion of the New Year, according to the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Le Cornu is scheduled to meet on Monday in Beirut with Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, who will lead the deployment of troops in the south of the country after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

General Aoun's name has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the position of President of the Republic, which has been vacant for more than two years.

On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet with General Edgar Landaus, commander of the South Litani Sector, who represents Lebanon in the ceasefire monitoring committee.

This committee, which includes Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UNIFIL, is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on November 27, after two months of open war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lecornu and Baroux will then head to UNIFIL's camp at Deir Kifa to spend New Year's Eve with some of the 700 French soldiers.

The New York Times quoted the head of the UNIFIL mission as saying that they are concerned about the continued shooting and demolition by Israeli forces around Naqoura, adding that the town of Khiam is the only one that Israel has evacuated and in which the Lebanese army has deployed.

Ceasefire violations

Since November 27, a fragile ceasefire has prevailed, ending an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah that began on October 8, 2023, and then turned into a full-scale war on September 23.

Under the pretext of confronting threats from Hezbollah, Israel committed 319 violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, resulting in a total of 32 deaths and 38 injuries, according to a statistic by Anadolu Agency based on data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

These violations prompted Hezbollah to respond, on December 2nd, for the first time since the agreement came into effect, with a missile attack targeting the Ruwaysat al-Alam military site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kfar Shuba.

The most prominent provisions of the ceasefire agreement include Israel's gradual withdrawal to the south of the Blue Line separating it from Lebanon within 60 days, and the deployment of Lebanese army and security forces along the border, crossing points, and the southern region.

Under the agreement, the Lebanese army will be the only entity allowed to carry weapons in the south of the country, with the dismantling of military infrastructure and sites, the confiscation of unauthorized weapons, and the establishment of a committee to oversee and help ensure the implementation of these obligations.

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon resulted in 4,063 martyrs and 16,663 wounded, including a large number of children and women, in addition to the displacement of about 1.4 million people. Most of the victims and displaced persons were recorded after the escalation of the aggression on September 23.