Jerusalem, Dec 2 (IANS): Israel's military confirmed that it had carried out several strikes in Lebanon over the past two days, describing the actions as efforts to "thwart" violations of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

In a statement, the military said that it had targeted a church used by Hezbollah militants. According to the statement, the militants -- identified by the Israeli side as members of Hezbollah's Khiam ground defence, anti-tank missile, and artillery units -- had reportedly fired at Israeli troops from the church, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Israeli news outlet Ynet.

"Over the past day, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) operated in several locations in Lebanon to remove threats to the State of Israel that were in violation of the ceasefire agreement," the statement read. "The IDF remains in Lebanon and acts against any threat to the State of Israel."

Earlier on Sunday, French diplomats warned that Israel had violated the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in at least 52 separate incidents. France cautioned that such breaches risk undermining the fragile agreement.

The ceasefire, signed last week, was intended to halt the deadly cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that erupted last October.