US military delegation to meet Lebanon's Aoun amid Israel's ceasefire violation

Ahram Online , Monday 13 Jan 2025

A US military delegation arrived in Beirut on Monday to meet with President Joseph Aoun following a day of intense Israeli shelling targeting east and south Lebanon, marking a new violation of the ceasefire agreement.

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Lebanon's new President Joseph Aoun (C) receiving Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla (C-R), commander of the US Central Command, and his accompanying delegation at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut on January 13, 2025. AFP

 

The delegation, led by General Michael Kurilla, commander of the US Central Command, included the head of the Monitoring Committee for the ceasefire, the US ambassador to Lebanon, and several military officers, Al Arabiya reported.

On Sunday night, the Israeli army carried out several strikes on the country, claiming it was targeting sites belonging to Hezbollah and roads along the Syrian border.

Additionally, Israeli aircraft bombed the outskirts of Janta town on the borders of the Eastern Lebanon Mountain Range, as well as the area surrounding Nabatieh in the south of the country.

This comes as part of repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire, which came into effect on 27 November, including incursions, artillery and tank shelling, destruction of homes, and surveillance by drones and warplanes.

Israel has violated the deal at least 472 times now.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, on Friday, Israel struck south Lebanon, killing five people.

“An Israeli drone targeted a car in Tayr Dibba,” a village near the coastal city of Tyre some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Israeli border, the Lebanese state-run National News Agency said.

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence said it recovered the remains of 16 killed earlier by Israel in Tayr Harfa and Alma al-Shaab, south Lebanon.

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