The United Nations said fighting in southern Lebanon has “significantly” decreased since the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding was announced.Israel and Hezbollah resumed fighting days into Operation Epic Fury for the first time since their November 2024 ceasefire, when Hezbollah joined the fight to back its patron. Israel has continuously expanded operations in southern Lebanon, even moving north of the Litani River for the first time since withdrawing from the country in 2000, despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese state, which Hezbollah wasn’t a part of.The MOU signed by the U.S. and Iran reportedly contains a provision to halt all fighting in Lebanon, a provision that has appeared to be the hardest to uphold. Though Israel and Hezbollah have continued fighting, the U.N. noted that exchanges of fire were far less than before the MOU was announced.
U.N. Secretary General spokeswoman Stéphane Dujarric announced in a Tuesday press conference that the international body observed a “significantly reduced level” of violence in Lebanon since the weekend.
The U.N.’s mission to the country recorded 38 violations of Lebanese airspace by the Israeli Air Force on Monday, compared to 83 on Sunday. The number of projectiles fell even further, from 705 on Sunday to 174 on Monday. Of the projectiles recorded on Monday, 169 were attributed to the Israel Defense Forces and five to Hezbollah.
