Israeli forces to stay in south Lebanon beyond withdrawal deadline

The Israeli government has said Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon beyond a 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah because its terms have not been fully implemented. In a statement, the Israeli prime minister’s office said, under the agreement Hezbollah weapons and fighters must be removed from areas south of the Litani River. As per the November ceasefire agreement, both Israeli and Hezbollah forces had agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26th this year. However, Lebanese forces are



still deployed in the region.

       

On the other hand, Hezbollah had warned on Thursday that if the Israeli military remained in Lebanon past Sunday, it would be considered a brazen breach of the agreement.

     

The Israeli military had invaded southern Lebanon in October, 2023 which culminated in a yearlong low-level war with Hezbollah which had attacked Israeli-held territory in solidarity with Hamas.