Lebanese president urges US to press Israel for withdrawal from south

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the US on Saturday to press Israel to withdraw from occupied territories in the south to allow army deployment in the area.

The call came during Aoun’s meeting in Beirut with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

Aoun called for pressure on Israel to implement the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, halt attacks on Lebanon, withdraw from five occupied outposts in the south, and release prisoners, the state news agency NNA reported.

“Continued Israeli attacks in the south hinder the deployment of the Lebanese army to the border,” he said.

Aoun stressed that Lebanese army forces have been deployed to more than 85 percent of the area south of the Litani.

“The army continues to prevent any armed presence in the area and confiscate weapons and ammunition,” he added.

In 2006, the UN unanimously adopted Resolution 1701 to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, calling for a permanent ceasefire and the creation of a buffer zone.

Aoun stressed the importance of US support to the Lebanese army and supplying it with necessary equipment and machinery to help the military maintain security, prevent smuggling, and control Lebanese-Syrian border.

Cooper, for his part, praised “the distinguished work carried out by the Lebanese army deployed in the south and throughout Lebanese territory,” NNA said.

Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL for the last time until the end of 2026, after nearly 50 years of its presence in southern Lebanon.

Israel launched military operations in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Hezbollah group.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.