Israel defies ceasefire deal? Air strike hits Hezbollah facility in Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Thursday that the air force struck a facility used by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon. This is the first such attack since a ceasefire between the group and Israel took effect on Wednesday morning.
“A short while ago, terrorist activity was identified in a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon. The threat was thwarted by an [Israeli Air Force] aircraft. The [Israeli army] remains in southern Lebanon and acting to enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement,” the military said in a statement according to news agency AFP.
Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants began a ceasefire Wednesday in a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting as a region on edge wondered whether it will hold, news agency Associated Press reported.
Israel reportedly said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the agreement. An Israeli military spokesman, in an Arabic-language X post in the first half-hour of the ceasefire, warned evacuated residents of southern Lebanon to not head home yet, saying the military remained deployed there.
The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance.
The ceasefire began at 4 am Wednesday. This was a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities.
The ceasefire did not address the ongoing war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable.
(With inputs from agencies)