Relentless Israeli ceasefire violations justify need for self-defense: Lebanese MP

By Hiba Morad

The recurring Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement demonstrate the failure of international resolutions to preserve Lebanon's safety and sovereignty, justifying the need for self-defense, a Lebanese parliamentarian told the Press TV website.

In a conversation with the Press TV website, Sayyed Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, said these ceasefire violations will "strengthen the argument for resistance."

"The repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire will strengthen the argument for resistance, demonstrating that it is not international resolutions or monitoring that will ensure safety and protection for Lebanon, but rather the resistance in collaboration with the Lebanese army," he stated.

Nearly a month after the ceasefire between the Israeli regime and Lebanon took effect, following months of Zionist aggression, the Israeli occupation army has continued to target Lebanese civilians, destroy homes, uproot trees, establish checkpoints, and abduct Lebanese citizens.

In the most recent breach on Saturday, Israeli forces intensified their activities in southern Lebanon, carrying out demolition and bulldozing operations in the town of Naqoura, according to local sources.

These operations resulted in the establishment of a military checkpoint near the fishermen's port, replacing a previous position held by the Lebanese army in the area.

On Saturday, Israeli drones were observed flying at low altitude altitudes in various regions of Lebanon, locals told the Press TV website.

Factbox: Ceasefire violations by Israeli regime in Lebanon with deadly strikes

Israeli regime has breached the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon more than 100 times since last Wednesday in order to compensate for the defeat Hezbollah inflicted on it.

Regaining strength

The current status of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement reflects a recovery from the losses it has endured in pro-Gaza operations since October last year, al-Moussawi noted.

“The organization is in the process of regaining strength and rebuilding its capabilities at various levels. This encapsulates the current situation, and it is how it should be,” he told the Press TV website.

He described the martyrdom of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as a "significant loss" to both the party and the nation but added that it provides them with greater strength in their resistance.

On September 27, amid indiscriminate aerial bombardments, the Israeli occupation forces dropped over 80 tons of US-made bunker-buster bombs on the southern suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut, resulting in the assassination of Sayyed Nasrallah and his associates in their underground headquarters.

It came after top-ranking Hezbollah commanders such as Fuad Shukr and Ibrahim Aqil were martyred in separate attacks and before the assassination of Sayyed Hashem Safiuddin, the head of the executive council of the Lebanese resistance movement.

“The people of the resistance have high resolve and are highly determined to continue their struggle against the Israeli enemy occupation. Now after Sayyed Hassan’s martyrdom, people are more committed to this cause of struggling against the oppressors and occupiers," the Lebanese MP said.

"The same thing happened when Sayyed Abbass al-Moussawi was assassinated in 1992, and this will give the people of the cause more determination to continue their plight.”

In February 1992, Israeli helicopters targeted the convoy of Sayyed Abbass al-Moussawi, the founder of the Hezbollah resistance movement, assassinating him.

He was succeeded by a 31-year-old leader who drove the Israeli occupation out of Lebanon in 2000, led Hezbollah for three decades and established a deterrent capability against the apartheid regime.

Raison d'être

On continued ceasefire violations, al-Moussawi said it has been 23 days since the ceasefire came into effect, yet the Israelis continue to breach the agreement with aerial attacks and ongoing aggressions.

"They continue to destroy homes and entire villages. This is occurring under the watch of the international community, the committee assigned to monitor the situation, the Lebanese government, UNIFIL, and everyone else," he told the Press TV website.

“This will contribute to the argument for the resistance, asserting that it is not international resolutions or monitoring that will ensure safety and protection for Lebanon."

He further said that the army is currently deployed in the south, emphasizing the importance of providing the government, UNIFIL, and the committee with every opportunity to demonstrate to the Lebanese people and the international community if they are capable of ensuring safety and sovereignty in the country.

"As we can all observe, this is not occurring, which provides a significant justification for the 'raison d'être' of the resistance,” the Lebanese lawmaker stated, putting the onus on all stakeholders to act decisively and without further delay.

Gross violations of 1701

AL-Moussawi said the actions taken by the Israeli regime since the ceasefire deal was announced constitute gross violations and a breach of the mechanisms outlined in Resolution 1701.

"This should be addressed by the committee monitoring the ceasefire, UNIFIL, the Lebanese army, the Lebanese government, and the international community," he stated.

Resolution 1701, dated August 11, 2006, stipulates that both Hezbollah and the Israeli regime must abide by a ceasefire while the Lebanese army assumes responsibility for ensuring the safety and sovereignty of the South Lebanon region.

While Hezbollah has complied with the ceasefire, Israel has violated the agreement more than 100 times since it came into effect on November 27.

“The gross violations present a very positive argument regarding the existence of resistance; the fact that all these resolutions fail to protect Lebanon, its people, and its sovereignty indicates that the Israelis will continue to act with impunity," the Lebanese MP told the Press TV website.

"They could have at least shown respect for the international community by adhering to the agreement instead of violating it continuously—killing people, destroying homes, and even permitting settlers to establish tents on Lebanese territory."

He said the resistance is allowing more time for the people to return to their villages and also providing evidence to the international community "of how it abides by and complies with the ceasefire agreement, while the enemy does not."

"This should be very helpful in the future,” al-Moussawi asserted.

Tripartite golden formula

Commenting on the mounting calls to disarm the resistance in Lebanon, the MP said it's not new.

"It might mount up or culminate in the coming future, but when we talk about the military presence of the resistance, Hezbollah has committed itself to respect the Lebanese government in terms of abiding by the UN resolution 1701 South of the Litani River," al-Moussawi stated.

He stressed that the essence of Resolution 1701 is the protection of Lebanese sovereignty and the enforcement of state authority, but Israel has failed to comply with the resolution’s terms in the past and continues to disregard the executive measures.

“The relation of Hezbollah with the Lebanese army has always been good, and we have always believed and will continue to believe in the tripartite formula too, and this golden formula will ensure the safety and sovereignty of the country, which is the army, the people and the resistance,” the MP associated with the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc stated.

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