Key events
In a statement overnight, Israel’s military claimed that its attacks inside Lebanese territory “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon.”
It said:
Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The state of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfil their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory. The State of Israel remains obligated to the fulfilment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. The IDF is prepared to continue operating wherever necessary and will continue to operate to defend Israeli civilians.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is looking increasingly fragile after both sides exchanged fire and accused each other of violating the US-brokered truce less than a week after it came into force.
At least nine people were killed and three injured on Monday from Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese towns, Talousa and Haris, as the Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon.
The latest Israeli strikes came shortly after Hezbollah accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and fired missiles on an Israeli military position in the disputed Shebaa Farms area in what the Iran-backed group called a “defensive warning strike”.
Lebanese speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who negotiated the truce on behalf of Lebanon, said Beirut had recorded at least 54 ceasefire violations by Israel since Wednesday.
In other developments:
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US president-elect Donald Trump demanded the immediate release of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, saying that if they are not freed before he is sworn into office for a second term there will be “hell to pay”
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A wave of airstrikes pummelled hospitals and neighbourhoods in the rebel-held region of Idlib in northern Syria as Islamist insurgents continued to battle forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad after the militants’ lightning assault on Aleppo. At least 18 people were killed and 35 injured, White Helmets civil defence forces based in Idlib said
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Iranian-backed Iraqi militias crossed into eastern Syria overnight in an attempt to shore up struggling forces loyal to Damascus, battling an insurgency that has swept much of the country’s north-west as Islamist militants seized control of Aleppo.
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The crisis in Syria is the result of President Bashar al-Assad’s refusal to engage in political dialogue with the opposition, and not external interventions, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said after meeting his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, for emergency talks in Ankara
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The Hamas-led health authority in Gaza has said at least 44,466 Palestinians were killed and 105,358 wounded since Israel’s military offensive on Gaza began after the 7 October 2023 surprise attack inside Israel
