Lebanon president says Israel must withdraw from south by January 26 deadline

AFP , Saturday 18 Jan 2025

Lebanon's new president said on Saturday Israel must withdraw from the country's south by the January 26 deadline set to fully implement the terms of the ceasefire.

Aoun
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers the press statements after meeting with his France's counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Baabda. AFP

 

Joseph Aoun told visiting United Nations chief Antonio Guterres that it was necessary for "Israeli forces to withdraw from occupied territories in the south within the deadline set by the agreement reached on November 27," a statement from his office said, adding that he also warned against "continued Israeli violations" of the deal.

The former army chief also vowed that the state would have "a monopoly" on bearing weapons, referring to conditions in the deal to disarm Lebanon's Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.

Similarly, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem warned Israel against testing the movement's "patience" after Tel Aviv committed hundreds of violations, two months into the ceasefire.

"We have been patient with the violations to give a chance to the Lebanese state responsible for this agreement, along with the international sponsors, but I call on you not to test our patience," Qassem said.

Under the November 27 ceasefire accord, the Lebanese army has 60 days to deploy alongside peacekeepers from the UNIFIL mission in south Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws.

At the same time, Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the south.

French President Emmanuel Macron was also in Beirut on Friday and said there must be "accelerated" implementation of the ceasefire in Israel's escalation on Lebanon.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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