JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline stipulated in the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah because its terms have not been fully implemented, a government official said the office of the Israeli Prime Minister on Friday.
Under the terms of the agreement, which entered into force on November 27, Hezbollah weapons and fighters must be withdrawn from areas south of the Litani River and Israeli troops must withdraw as the Lebanese army deploys in the region, all within 60 days, that is to say on Sunday at 4 a.m. (0200 GMT).
The deal, brokered by the United States and France, ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The fighting culminated in a major Israeli offensive that severely weakened Hezbollah and displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the process of withdrawing the Israeli army was “conditional on the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon and the full and effective implementation of the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani.”
“As the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully implemented by the Lebanese state, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.”
The statement did not specify how much longer Israeli forces could remain in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army claims to have seized weapons from Hezbollah and dismantled infrastructure used by the Shiite armed group.
There was no immediate comment from Lebanon.
HEZBOLLAH HAMMERED IN CONFLICT WITH ISRAEL
A Hezbollah official, reached for comment, referred Reuters to a statement released by the group on Thursday. That said, any delay in withdrawal would constitute an unacceptable violation of the agreement and would require the Lebanese state to act. He said the state should deal with such a violation “by all means and methods guaranteed by international charters.”
The Israeli military said in a statement that it remains deployed in southern Lebanon and “continues to operate in accordance with the ceasefire agreements between Israel and Lebanon.”
Israeli troops have carried out strikes against Hezbollah’s active weapons storage facilities and observation posts in southern Lebanon over the past few days, the statement said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel said its campaign against Hezbollah was aimed at ensuring the return home of tens of thousands of people forced from their homes in northern Israel by Hezbollah rocket fire.
It dealt major blows to Hezbollah during the conflict, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and thousands of the group’s fighters and destroying much of its arsenal.
Hezbollah was further weakened in December when its Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad, was toppled from power by rebels, cutting off its land supply route from Iran.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, noted that Israel was withdrawing its forces from Lebanon and that the Lebanese army was visiting the sites of Hezbollah ammunition depots and destroyed them, but added that more time was needed. to “get results”.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said any “resumption of hostilities would be a devastating blow to civilians still struggling to rebuild their lives”.
“Regional and international mediators must ensure that this truce evolves into a lasting ceasefire, with a firm commitment to protecting all civilians and civilian infrastructure,” said Maureen Philippon, NRC country director in Lebanon, in a press release.
More than 100,000 people remain displaced across Lebanon and the continued presence of Israeli troops is preventing civilians from returning home, according to the NRC.
