JERUSALEM/BEIRUT - Israel's military confirmed on Sunday that it had carried out several strikes in southern 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 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 defense, anti-tank missile, and artillery units -- had reportedly fired at Israeli troops from the church.

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

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Earlier on Sunday, French diplomats warned that Israel had violated the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in at least 52 separate incidents, according to a report by the Israeli news outlet Ynet. 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.  

Separately, a five-member monitoring committee on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon will start its work within the next 48 hours, Lebanese security sources told Xinhua on Sunday.

The unnamed sources noted that the committee will be led by US General Jasper Jeffers, who recently arrived in Lebanon, with Brigadier General Edgar Lowndes from the Lebanese army representing Lebanon. Other members will include representatives from France, Israel, and the United Nations.