AIPAC Memo

America Must Stand with Israel as Hezbollah Ceasefire Violations Mount

January 23, 2025

*The map accompanying the ceasefire agreement.*

A ceasefire agreement went into effect on November 27 to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that the Iranian-backed terror group initiated on October 8, 2023.

Under the terms of the U.S.-mediated agreement, the government of Lebanon is responsible for preventing further Hezbollah action against Israel. Read the full text of the agreement here.‍

The agreement also plainly states that the agreement does not prevent “either Israel or Lebanon from exercising their inherent right of self-defense.”

Hezbollah, a genocidal terrorist organization, has already violated the ceasefire numerous times.

Close U.S.-Israel cooperation is essential both to maintain the ceasefire and counter Iran’s malign influence – including its smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah.

Reiterates the importance of fully implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (UNSCR 1701), which calls for the “disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.”
Requires Lebanon “to prevent the re-establishment and rearmament of non-state armed groups in Lebanon.
Requires Lebanon to “prevent Hezbollah and all other armed groups in the territory of Lebanon from carrying out any operations against Israel.”
Requires the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to deploy to the southern Litani area to “commence the implementation of its obligations under the commitments, including the dismantling of unauthorized sites and infrastructure and confiscating unauthorized arms and related materiel.”
Creates a new monitoring “mechanism, hosted by UNIFIL, chaired by the U.S., and including France, [to] monitor, verify, and assist in ensuring enforcement of these commitments.”

In a widely reported side letter to Israel accompanying the ceasefire agreement, the U.S. reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defense and right to act if the terms of the agreement are violated.
The current agreement allows Israel to enforce the provisions of the ceasefire to prevent a reoccurrence of the post-2006 Lebanon War period — when Hezbollah dramatically expanded its terrorist infrastructure along Israel’s border in violation of UNSCR 1701.
The U.S. commited to provide Israel with intelligence pertaining to violations of the ceasefire, including any indication that Hezbollah is attempting to infiltrate the LAF.
The letter also reaffirms Israel’s right to conduct reconnaissance flights over Lebanon so long as they do not break the sound barrier.

November 27, 2024: Suspected Hezbollah operatives in cars and motorcycles approached villages in southern Lebanon, dozens of meters from the border in a no-go area, prompting the IDF to fire warning shots.
November 28: Individuals attempted to enter the no-go zone in southern Lebanon, again prompting the IDF again to fire warning shots. In a separate incident, a vehicle approached the no-go area and the IDF responded with a UAV attack.
November 29-30: Armed Hezbollah terrorists were seen operating in southern Lebanon and armed men were loading weapons onto a vehicle. The IDF carried out airstrikes to stop these violations.
December 1: Armed Hezbollah terrorists operating south of the Litani were killed by the IDF, and after searching the area Israeli forces found a tunnel shaft with weapons. Israel also forced an Iranian aircraft suspected of ferrying weapons to Hezbollah to turn around over Syria.
December 2: Hezbollah launched two mortars into Israel.
January 11, 2025: Hezbollah operatives loading a vehicle with weapons 12 miles from the Israeli
border were targeted by the IDF.
January 12: Several Hezbollah terror targets, including loaded rocket launchers, were struck by the IDF after the Lebanese Armed Forces was notified and failed to act.
January 23: Stockpiles of Hezbollah weapons, including rockets, mortars, and anti-tank missiles were seized by the IDF in southern Lebanon.

THE WAY FORWARD:

The United States must continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself, work to prevent Iran from reinforcing its proxy, and increase the pressure on Lebanon and Hezbollah to honor the agreement.

Click here for a downloadable PDF.

‍

America Must Stand with Israel as Hezbollah Ceasefire Violations Mount

Key requirements of the ceasefire:

Side letter reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense:

Hezbollah has already violated the ceasefire agreement – just as it has violated UNSCR 1701 for the past 18 years.

THE WAY FORWARD: