By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on Saturday that the group’s fighters would remain deployed and ready to respond to any Israeli violations, underscoring tensions despite a newly one sided announced ceasefire.
“Resistance fighters will remain in the field, with their fingers on the trigger, and will respond to violations of the aggression accordingly,” Qassem said in a statement. He added that the ceasefire “means a complete halt to all hostile acts” and stressed that Hezbollah does not trust Israel. “There is no ceasefire from one side only. It must be from both sides,” he said.
Israel, however, signalled it would continue occupying Lebanese territory and military operations under certain conditions. The Israeli army said it had established a self-declared “Yellow Line” in southern Lebanon, a buffer zone south of the Litani River, where it would target individuals approaching its forces. It said troops had identified “a terrorist cell who violated the ceasefire understandings and approached the forces… in a manner that posed an immediate threat,” adding that air strikes, artillery fire and ground operations were carried out.
The Israeli military said such actions were “not restricted by the ceasefire.”
The move marks the first time Israel has publicly referred to such a zone in Lebanon, drawing comparisons with measures imposed in Gaza since October 2023. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israel intended to retain control over areas it had occupied during the recent offensive.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he was prepared to take all necessary steps to secure Israel’s withdrawal and “save the country,” though there was no immediate response from Lebanese authorities or Hezbollah to Israel’s latest claims.
Hostilities have continued on the ground. Israeli artillery struck the southern towns of Beit Leif, Qantara and Touline on Saturday, while the military claimed the attacks were in response to fighters approaching areas where its troops remain stationed, describing them as “an imminent threat.” “Actions taken in self-defence and to remove immediate threats are not restricted by the ceasefire,” it said.
The ceasefire, announced on Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump and intended to last 10 days, followed a previous truce that had formally been in place since November 27, 2024. The United Nations has since recorded more than 10,000 Israeli ceasefire violations and killing of hundreds Lebanese civilians.
In a separate development, Hezbollah denied involvement in an incident that killed a French peacekeeper and wounded three others serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the Bint Jbeil district. The group said it “denies any involvement in the incident,” urging caution “to avoid rushing to conclusions and accusations” before the circumstances are clarified. It also stressed the need for continued coordination between local residents, UNIFIL and the Lebanese army, and criticised what it described as premature blame “while remaining silent during Israeli attacks on UNIFIL forces.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, saying: “I strongly condemn Saturday’s attack on @UNIFIL_ during which one French peacekeeper was killed & another three were injured.”
Separately, the Israeli military said a reservist, Warrant Officer Barak Kalfon, 48, had died from wounds sustained in a bomb explosion during combat operations in southern Lebanon. Three other soldiers were injured in the incident.
Beyond Lebanon, regional tensions escalated further after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said the Strait of Hormuz would be closed from Saturday afternoon until the United States lifts its naval blockade on Iranian vessels and ports. The IRGC dismissed remarks by Trump regarding the strait as lacking credibility, and said that while civilian vessels had previously been allowed to transit “with the coordination of the IRGC Navy,” the continued U.S. blockade constituted a violation of the ceasefire understanding.
“However, in violation of the ceasefire agreement, the American enemy has not lifted the naval blockade on Iranian vessels and ports, so the Strait of Hormuz will be closed from this afternoon until the blockade is lifted,” the statement said.
Tanker monitoring data indicated that two Indian ships were forced to turn back from the strait following IRGC intervention, based on maritime radio communications.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s special envoy for non-proliferation and disarmament, Stephan Klement, warned that any move by Iran to develop a nuclear weapon could trigger wider regional instability. Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, he said, “The second half has not yet happened, which would be Iran developing a nuclear weapon, which would really present a big risk in this region of the Middle East, there would be a proliferation cascade.” He added that the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, had initially been successful before later unravelling. However he did not give any evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapon.
The developments underscore the fragility of the ceasefire, with continued military activity, competing claims of violations and widening regional tensions raising doubts over its durability.
[Photo: A view of the destruction following the Israeli army’s attacks in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon on April 19, 2026. The city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, which was targeted by the Israeli army from March 2 until the temporary ceasefire was declared on April 17, suffered extensive destruction. In the attacks, which claimed many lives, numerous buildings in the area were severely damaged and many vehicles were rendered unusable. Photojournalist: Muhammed Emin Canik/AA]
