Lebanon army reports Israeli ‘acts of aggression’ in violation of ceasefire

InternationalMust ReadLebanon army reports Israeli 'acts of aggression' in violation of ceasefireBy AFP -Apr 17, 2026Lebanon’s army reported “acts of aggression” by Israel that it said violated a ceasefire which took effect at midnight Friday local time. Lebanon’s army in an X post early on Friday called on residents in the south to exercise caution “in light of a number of violations” of the ceasefire agreement by “several Israeli acts of aggression.” Gunfire erupted in Beirut’s southern suburbs as a ceasefire with Israel came into effect at midnight on Friday (2100 GMT Thursday), according to AFP journalists and AFPTV footage. State media also reported “heavy gunfire” accompanying the start of the 10-day truce, announced earlier by US President Donald Trump. AFP journalists heard shots rang out and RPGs erupting into the air shortly after midnight and continuing for well over half an hour, as red bullet traces took off into the sky. AFPTV footage showed people returning to the city’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, some waving the Iran-backed movement’s yellow flag or carrying portraits of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024. Videos circulating on social media showed queues of cars in several areas in the south as displaced residents returned to their homes. Lebanese authorities say the war has displaced more than one million people. Hezbollah earlier on Thursday called on Lebanese residents to postpone their return to the country’s south, the Bekaa valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs, “until the situation becomes completely clear”. The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, in a statement, also advised people to wait “until you are certain that a ceasefire has been officially declared and has come into effect” and urged people to “wait until morning” before taking to the roads. The army command also called on citizens to heed instructions of Lebanese soldiers deployed in the south, where Israeli troops have in...