Katz pointed to an Israeli advance deep into Lebanon if the truce is violated

Israel is ready to move deep into the Lebanese territories in case of truce violation. This statement was made by the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry Yisrael Katz on December 3.

"If the ceasefire collapses, there will be no more exceptions for Lebanon," Israeli portal Ynet quoted him as saying.

He also stressed that if the ceasefire collapses, Israel will no longer make distinctions between militias of the Shiite organization Hezbollah and Lebanon. Katz noted that Tel Aviv would show "maximum reaction and zero tolerance" in case of attempts to violate the agreements.

Hamas is not concerned: Israel will continue war in Gaza despite truce with Hezbollah

Can the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon at least be a starting point for a settlement in the Middle East

The start of the indefinite cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel was announced by current U.S. President Joe Biden. He said Israel will gradually withdraw its troops from the neighboring country over a period of 60 days starting November 27. After that, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Biden in a telephone conversation for his help in concluding a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

On the same day, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the ceasefire with Lebanon a mistake. According to him, by concluding this agreement, Israel is walking on thin ice, as the Lebanese army does not have the authority and ability to defeat the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

The escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah came after the events of Sept. 17 and 18, when thousands of people, including the movement's cadres, were injured when pagers and other communication devices exploded in Lebanon. The country blamed Tel Aviv for what happened. Since then, Israel has continued to eliminate the leadership of the Shiite movement and strike Lebanese territory.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas subjected Israeli territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.