Israel's Attacks on Locations in southern Lebanon - The Legal Issues At Hand
Hezbollah officials and the Lebanese government have accused Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire by attacking locations they deem to be "civilian sites" in southern Lebanon.
Israel insists those attacks are in response to eminent threats to Israel's security. Israel claims they attacked a Hezbollah weapons factory. They accuse Hezbollah of secretly breaching the terms of the ceasefire in the name of developing their military arsenal.
A Hostile Ceasefire - An Unfinished War
During the finalization of the ceasefire, Israel suspected Hezbollah will not reined in totally by the Lebanese military. They deem Lebanon's army as too weak or susceptible to Hezbollah's attempt to circumvent the freezes placed on them during the ceasefire negotiations.
On the other hand, Hezbollah members and most residents in south Lebanon argued that Israel was late in withdrawing their troops during the ceasefire in January. Many Israeli soldiers finally withdrew late in February.
Thus, the ceasefire in Lebanon was fragile at inception.
Arguments keep going back and forth.
Israel Responding to Hezbollah Rocket Fire: Is that an Imminent Threat? Most Likely
Israel insists they responded to a Hezbollah rocket fire.
As long as that is proven, it is apparent that what was suspected of Hezbollah actually happened and Israel has every right to respond.
It must be recalled that Israel uses the most sophisticated technologies to monitor southern Lebanon and gather relevant details. As expected, Israel takes all relevant details and shares them with their allies around the world.
As such, it is most likely that Hezbollah still has some hidden military capabilities that they are using against Israel. This renders the Lebanese government fragile, and prone to being circumvented in preventing Hezbollah.
Conclusion
The fundamental question is with whether Israel responded to an imminent threat or not. Indeed if Hezbollah has some weapons and rocket capabilities in stock, it is possible they are liable for an attack which prompted Israel to act. After all, Israel stated expressly that they will attack Hezbollah any time there is a renewed threat from them. Judging by Hezbollah's core ideology, it is more likely than not, that Hezbollah members actually fired some of their leftover weapons. And such a act will justified a continuous Israeli oversight of southern Lebanon for a prompt and effective response.
