Israel and Hezbollah trade fire as Trump warns of 'hell to pay' if October 7 hostages are not released
3 December 2024, 00:07 | Updated: 3 December 2024, 00:13
The Israeli Defence Force confirmed it hit targets in Lebanon on Monday evening just days after agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
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It came after the Lebanese militant group reportedly launched projectiles into an area restricted under the terms of the truce.
As Hezbollah and Israel traded fire, president-elect Donald Trump warned there would be “all hell to pay” if Hamas failed to return Israeli hostages home by the time he entered the White House.
The Hezbollah projectiles fell in open areas and no injuries were reported, Israel said.
Hezbollah said it fired projectiles as a "defensive and warning response" after what it called "repeated violations" of the ceasefire deal by Israel.
Following the attack, Israel confirmed its response on X, writing: "The IAF struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon a short while ago.
“Additionally, the IAF struck the Hezbollah launcher in the area of Berghoz in southern Lebanon shortly after the launch of the two projectiles toward Mount Dov.
"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 fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah's hostile activity from within Lebanese territory."
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said: "We promised to act against any ceasefire violation by Hezbollah - and that is exactly what we will do.
"Hezbollah's fire towards an IDF post on Mount Dov will be met with a harsh response."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded the incident a "serious violation" of the ceasefire agreement.
"Israel will respond to it with force," he said.
"We are determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah, whether minor or severe."
Hezbollah has accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire 50 times since the deal was agreed.
Pentagon spokesman, Major General Patrick Ryder, said: "Broadly speaking, it is our assessment that despite some of these incidents that we are seeing, the ceasefire is holding.”As the two factions traded fire, incoming US president Donald Trump demanded the return of all Israeli hostages from Gaza.
The president-elect warned there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages aren’t released by the time he enters office in January.
In a post on his Truth Social site, Mr Trump wrote: "Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity."
He added: "Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!"
Those in Mr Trump’s team have said he wants to secure a ceasefire in Gaza soon after entering the White House.
Mr Trump's allies have said he hopes there will be a ceasefire and hostage release deal before he returns to office early next year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment, but the country's president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed Mr Trump's comments in a social media post.
"Thank you and bless you Mr President-elect @realDonaldTrump," he wrote on X. "We all pray for the moment we see our sisters and brothers back home!"
Israel launched its assault on Gaza when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage on October 7 2023.
Some 100 are still held inside Gaza and around two-thirds are believed to be alive.
Israel has killed at least 44,429 people in Gaza, the vast majority civilians, according to the UN.
The war has destroyed vast areas of the coastal enclave and displaced 90% of its population of 2.3 million people - often multiple times.
The Biden administration is currently mounting a last-ditch effort to try to restart talks between Israel and Hamas now that it has brokered a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
