Bassel Doueik on violence in Lebanon despite ceasefire

Bassel Doueik, Lebanon and Jordan Researcher at ACLED, said: 

"Since the announcement of a US-brokered ceasefire on 17 April, ACLED has recorded at least 565 Israeli air and drone strikes alongside 203 incidents of artillery shelling throughout Lebanese territory. These events have been mainly concentrated in the South and Al Nabatieh governorates (see graph below). Only one attack took place in the Bekaa Valley, while another drone strike targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs on 6 May."

"Unlike during the ceasefire agreement in 2024, Hezbollah has responded to Israeli attacks. Since 17 April, the Iranian-backed group has carried out at least 100 events —including drone strikes, artillery shelling, rocket barrages, and interceptions of Israeli drones—, resulting in at least four Israeli soldiers killed or wounded. At the same time, Hezbollah has used this period to improve and regularly deployed its fiber-optic guided FPV drone capabilities which has proven effective against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. 

"Post-ceasefire hostilities in southern Lebanon also included armed clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops, particularly in Bent Jbeil city, where intense Israeli bombardment has so far failed to secure full IDF control. Hezbollah fighters remain operating in a small part of the city, attacking IDF vehicles and troops. One such confrontation occurred on 24 April, when Hezbollah fighters clashed with troops of the Israeli Paratroopers Brigade, under the 98th Division. According to the IDF, six Hezbollah fighters had taken cover inside a building during the fighting, prompting an Israeli Air Force strike on the structure that reportedly killed all six.

"The number of events in Lebanon’s post-ceasefire landscape is slowly catching up with pre-ceasefire numbers as tensions continue to escalate surrounding a potential collapse of the agreement amid a regional conflict stalemate."