Israel is ‘too aggressive’ enforcing Lebanon ceasefire and plays a ‘dangerous game,’ US officials reportedly warn

With Israel responding forcefully to numerous ceasefire violations by the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, U.S. officials warned over the weekend that Israel was endangering the whole agreement, according to the Axios news outlet.

White House envoy Amos Hochstein, the primary mediator of agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, reportedly told Israeli counterparts that they were enforcing the ceasefire “too aggressively,” and urged them to give the agreed-upon monitoring and enforcing mechanism a chance.

An Israeli official acknowledged that the Israeli strikes in response to Hezbollah were risking the collapse of the ceasefire, but noted the agreements’ future now depends on the terror group’s reaction to Israel’s series of strikes on Monday evening.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked Hezbollah targets across Lebanon after the group fired two mortar grenades at Mount Dov on Monday.

After the Israeli strikes, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who negotiated the agreement on behalf of Hezbollah, spoke to U.S. and French officials, asking them to pressure Israel to stop its strikes, Reuters reported.

Despite the skirmishes, Israel and Lebanon reportedly told the White House they remained committed to the ceasefire agreement.

When asked about the reports of Hochstein’s warning, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said the ceasefire was still in force, noting that the monitoring mechanism was probing allegations by both sides. “That’s what we’ll do over the coming days and coming months.”

“If we do see violations of the ceasefire, we’ll go to the parties and tell them to knock it off,” Miller added.

Lebanon has accused Israel of committing more than 50 violations since the ceasefire began last Wednesday, with France apparently endorsing this number and joining the condemnation of Israel in recent days, according to media reports.

“The Israelis have been playing a dangerous game in recent days,” a U.S. official told Axios. Reports of Israeli drones flying above Beirut again have drawn special ire in Lebanon.

Israel maintains that the IDF only struck immediate threats, for example when Hezbollah terrorists were spotted at rocket launch sites and missile depots, attempting to repair military infrastructure. Israel also stated that the United States was notified before some of the strikes.

According to the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), Gen. Jasper Jeffers arrived in Beirut to co-chair the ceasefire implementation and monitoring mechanism. The committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday, after France’s representative, Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, arrives in Beirut, Reuters reported.

“There is an urgency to finalize the mechanism, otherwise it will be too late,” a source told Reuters.

Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz issued his strongest warning yet, stating that if the ceasefire were to collapse, Israel would no longer restrict its strikes solely to Hezbollah targets, as it has over the past 14 months of fighting.

Katz said the Lebanese government “needs to decide to authorize the Lebanese army to enforce their part, keep Hezbollah away from the Litani and dismantle all the infrastructure.”

“If they don't do it and this whole agreement collapses… if we return to war, we will act strongly, we will go deeper, and the most important thing they need to know: There will be no more exemption for the state of Lebanon. If until now we separated the state of Lebanon from Hezbollah and between all of Beirut and the Dahiyeh that suffered very severe blows – this won’t continue.”