‘Gross Ceasefire Violation’: Hezbollah Launches Mortar Rounds at Har Dov

Latest Developments

• Israel Vows Forceful Retaliation: Five days into the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, Hezbollah terrorists launched mortar rounds at Har Dov — an Israeli position near the border between the two countries — on December 2. The attack fell wide and caused no casualties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident as a “gross violation” of the truce and pledged to “retaliate forcefully.” There were preliminary reports of air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The Israeli government’s position won support from across the political spectrum, with head of the opposition Democrats Party and former deputy IDF chief Yair Golan accusing the Iran-backed terrorist group of creating a “formative” moment with its provocation and saying failure by Israel to hit back hard could be “disastrous in the long-term.”

• Hezbollah Claims ‘Defensive Response’: In a statement, Hezbollah claimed its shelling of Har Dov was a “defensive response” to dozens of IDF attacks carried out since the truce went into force on November 27. Those strikes were aimed at countering attempts by Hezbollah to exploit the quiet in order to return its forces to areas south of the Litani River or to move weaponry in violation of the agreement. 

• IDF Still in Place: The IDF said its troops were still holding positions in southern Lebanon as part of a pre-agreed “stabilization” phase of the ceasefire, during which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is meant to gradually move in and assert its authority in areas vacated by Hezbollah.

FDD Expert Response

“Israel’s enemies and friends alike would do well to internalize that October 7 marked a sea change in the Jewish state’s strategy. It will no longer accept short-term truces, cross-border rockets in ‘trickles,’ or the cat-and-mouse games of attacks intended to be just minor enough to make Jerusalem think twice about striking back. The Israeli retaliation now must be harsh for the message to get across. Hezbollah must understand that its very survival is, again, at stake, and that preserving the ceasefire is thus a matter of self-preservation.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Israel was not legally obligated to accept this ceasefire deal. It did so based on the assurance — faulty at face value — that Lebanon would enforce its own obligations under international law and restrain and disarm Hezbollah. Since Lebanon continues to demonstrate its decades-long unwillingness to restrain Hezbollah in any way — including the group’s violations of obligations Lebanon undertook just days ago — Israel is permitted to act, and forcefully. Israeli force was always the only guarantor against Hezbollah.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“Ceasefire Holds on Day One in Lebanon as Evacuees – and Hezbollah – Head South,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘Designed to be Permanent’: Israel Agrees to Ceasefire Agreement With Hezbollah,” FDD Flash Brief

“Will Lebanon’s Ceasefire Gambit Bring A More Sustainable Peace?” by Ahmad Sharawi