Israeli army withdrawal from southern Lebanon to extend beyond 60-day deadline: Netanyahu's office

AFP , Friday 24 Jan 2025

Israel announced on Friday that the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon would continue beyond the 60-day period stipulated in a November ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. AP

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office claimed the ceasefire agreement had been drafted "with the understanding that the withdrawal process might extend beyond the 60-day period".

The comment comes despite earlier calls from UN peacekeepers and French President Emmanuel Macron for "accelerated" implementation of the deal.

"The withdrawal process is conditional upon the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, with Hezbollah withdrawing beyond the Litani River," a statement from Netanyahu's office said, ahead of the Sunday deadline.

"Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the Lebanese state, the gradual withdrawal process will continue in full coordination with the United States."

Under the terms of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period.

Hezbollah is to pull back its forces north of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border -- and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

The fragile truce took effect on 27 November after two months of intense war against Lebanon and Hezbollah, which began in September.

Hezbollah warning
 

Hezbollah on Thursday said that "any violation of the 60-day deadline will be considered a flagrant violation of (ceasefire) agreement, an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty and the occupation entering a new chapter".

This would require the Lebanese state to act using "all means necessary... to restore the land and wrest it from the clutches of the occupation", Hezbollah said in a statement.

A committee comprising Israeli, Lebanese, French, and US delegates, alongside a representative from the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, has been tasked with monitoring and addressing ceasefire violations. UNIFIL has repeatedly documented Israel's violations of the ceasefire agreement.

On 17 January, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for Israel to end its military operations and "occupation" in southern Lebanon. He also said peacekeepers had found more than 100 weapons caches belonging "to Hezbollah or other armed groups".

Last Saturday, Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, said Israeli forces must withdraw from the south "within the deadline set by the agreement reached on 27 November".

More than 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since cross-border hostilities began in October 2023, while over 130 people have died in Israel.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

Short link: