Israel deems deadline for withdrawal from southern Lebanon ‘not sacred’

JERUSALEM

Israel Friday said the two-month deadline for its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, stipulated in a cease-fire agreement, is “not a sacred date."

The cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect on Nov. 27, 2023, stipulates that Israel should complete its withdrawal within 60 days.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation quoted on Friday unnamed Israeli security officials as saying: "The two-month timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon is not a sacred deadline, and the implementation of the withdrawal depends on field developments."

The officials added: "The plans presented to the US mechanism, which coordinates between the Israeli and Lebanese armies and UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), include gradual timelines based on steps taken by the Lebanese army."

They also stated that Israel had informed the US that the withdrawal would only take place after the necessary conditions are met, without providing further details.

The broadcaster claimed that "Israel has monitored Hezbollah's attempts to move personnel from Syria to Lebanon over the past two weeks."

The agency also reported that "Israel has emphasized to the international community that it will not withdraw from southern Lebanon unless Hezbollah withdraws to the northern bank of the Litani River and the Lebanese army deploys along the border."

The Israeli army continues to issue statements about carrying out attacks in southern Lebanon, citing violations of the cease-fire. It is also preventing residents from returning to their homes in several villages in the region.

In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday denied reports that Lebanon had been informed through intermediaries that Israel would not withdraw from southern Lebanon after the 60-day period.

In a statement, Mikati's media office emphasized: "This information is completely false.”

“The firm position that Mikati has conveyed to all relevant parties, including the US and France, is that pressure should be exerted on Israel to withdraw from the Lebanese territories it occupied and stop its violations and hostile actions,” it said.

On Thursday, the Lebanese News Agency reported that Israeli military vehicles had crossed the Wadi al-Hujair area into the town of Qantara in southern Lebanon, marking yet another violation of the cease-fire.

This brings the total number of violations to over 300 since the agreement came into effect 30 days ago.

Data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel’s onslaught on Lebanon began on Oct. 8, 2023, at least 4,063 people have been killed, including women, children and health workers, while 16,663 others have been injured.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara