Moscow: Russia on Wednesday stressed the importance of striving to implement the cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon, as Beirut reported more than 120 violations since the deal went into effect last week. Responding to a question from Anadolu about cease-fire violations by Israeli forces since the agreement went into effect on Nov. 27, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news conference in Moscow that the situation in the region is changing rapidly, so Moscow considers it inappropriate to comment on the current status of the agreement’s implementation.
According to Anadolu Agency, Zakharova stated, “There is, however, an important nuance: we expressed our hope that the agreement would work. The same assessment was shared by political scientists and officials who recognized that it is one thing to reach an agreement and quite another to put it into reality. Therefore, we must strive for this.” She further emphasized that Russia will continue to support the cease-fire agreem
ent and expressed hope that the deal would be implemented effectively.
Zakharova also mentioned that Russia will maintain its stance on the matter and, if necessary, provide additional comments. Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel is required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line de facto border in phases, while the Lebanese army is tasked with deploying its forces in southern Lebanon within 60 days.
Beirut has reported over 120 violations of the cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon since it came into force last week in the hope of ending 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. According to an Anadolu tally based on Health Ministry data, at least 14 people have been killed and 13 others injured in Israeli attacks since last week.
The US and France are responsible for overseeing the agreement’s implementation, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear. Over 4,000 people have been killed and more than 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and over
1 million others have been displaced since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.