Lebanese premier demands clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon

BEIRUT

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati demanded a clear timetable Monday for completing Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon before a 60-day deadline expires, emphasizing that any talk of Israel extending the cease-fire period is “categorically unacceptable.”

Mikati’s remarks came during his meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The agency reported that Mikati discussed the progress made since the announcement of the security arrangements related to the cease-fire.

The fragile cease-fire, which took effect on Nov. 27 last year, ended months of mutual shelling between Israel and the Hezbollah group that began on Oct. 8, 2023 and escalated into a full-scale war on Sept. 23, 2024.

One of the cease-fire’s key provisions calls for Israel's gradual withdrawal south of the Blue Line within 60 days and the deployment of Lebanese military and security forces along the border, crossings and southern regions.

Mikati reiterated his call for “a clear timetable for completing Israel’s withdrawal before the 60-day deadline,” according to the agency.

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to abolish the cease-fire agreement if Hezbollah did not withdraw beyond the Litani River.

Additionally, Israel’s state broadcaster Kan reported Sunday that Israel is preparing for a prolonged stay in Lebanon, well beyond the 60-day period stipulated in the agreement, which came into force on Nov. 27.

Citing unnamed sources, the broadcaster added that “the Israeli military sees a need to remain in certain military positions in Lebanon, even past 90 days.”

On Saturday, KAN said that Israel might inform the US of its refusal to withdraw on time, citing claims that “the Lebanese army has not met the agreement's conditions and that Hezbollah is regrouping in the area.”

Mikati warned that “continued violations and talk of extending Israel’s presence under the cease-fire are entirely unacceptable.”

“We place these developments before the nations that brokered the agreement and the committee tasked with overseeing its implementation,” the agency quoted him as saying.

The prime minister reiterated calls to “end Israeli security violations of the cease-fire, halt ongoing assaults on southern towns, stop systematic destruction of homes and infrastructure, and cease violations of Lebanese airspace."

The agreement specifies that Lebanese forces will be the sole entity authorized to carry arms in southern Lebanon. It mandates dismantling military infrastructure and seizing unauthorized weapons and asserts that these commitments do not negate the inherent right of Israel or Lebanon to self-defense.

Official Lebanese data recorded 398 Israeli violations since the agreement’s signing, resulting in 32 deaths and 38 injuries.

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon has left 4,063 dead and 16,663 injured, including a significant number of women and children, and displaced approximately 1.4 million people. Most casualties and displacements occurred after the escalation on Sept. 23.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio