The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Friday that it would maintain troops in southern Lebanon as a 60-day ceasefire ends on Sunday.
Under a cease-fire agreement agreed in November, Jerusalem will begin withdrawing troops from its northern neighbor (which launched an operation last fall to dismantle Hezbollah) and is required to withdraw all troops within 60 days. was.
But Israeli officials say the IDF will withdraw its troops because provisions of the agreement, including the removal of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from southern Lebanon and the deployment of Lebanese and United Nations forces to the region, have not yet been met. He claims not to do so. Satisfied.
Israeli soldiers from the 769th Brigade continue to operate in southern Lebanon, eradicating the Hezbollah threat. Image provided on January 24, 2025. (Photo provided by IDF)
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“The ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully implemented by the Lebanese government, so the gradual withdrawal process will continue in full coordination with the United States,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday. said.
“The State of Israel will not endanger its communities and its people,” the statement added, noting that the Israeli military’s withdrawal is “conditional” on security from Hezbollah and Beirut.
The United States supported Israel’s decision, saying in a statement first reported by the Times of Israel: “President Trump supports President Aoun and the new Lebanese government while ensuring the safe return of Israeli citizens to their homelands in northern Israel. I am committed to making this possible.”
White House National Security Council Press Secretary Brian Hughes said, “All parties share the goal of ensuring that Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people and neighboring countries.” There is an urgent need for a short-term, temporary extension of the ceasefire,” White House National Security Council Press Secretary Brian Hughes told the program. .
He added: “We are pleased that the IDF has begun its withdrawal from the Central Region and will continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension.”
Mourners react at the funeral of Hassan Ghassan Hijazi, a Hezbollah member who was killed in an Israeli attack in Tayy Deba, southern Lebanon, on January 11, 2025. (Photo by Courtney Bonneau/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
News first surfaced on Thursday that Israel may not withdraw all its forces from Lebanon by the scheduled January 26, 2025 deadline.
In response, Hezbollah issued a statement urging the Lebanese government and the countries that helped broker the ceasefire, including the United States and France, to “effectively withdraw their forces and (ensure) the deployment of military forces.” He asked them to take action. It called for the Lebanese army to advance into the last inch of Lebanese territory and for the population to return to their villages immediately. ”
The statement called on governments “to give no pretext or argument to prolong the occupation.”
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In Lebanon, where fighting broke out during the Israeli invasion in October and reportedly displaced more than 1.2 million people, the move comes after months of fighting with Hezbollah after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. This was triggered by the exchange of missiles.
“There have been positive moves by the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) to operate on behalf of Hezbollah forces, as stipulated in the agreement,” Israeli government spokesman David Mensah said.
But he told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters, that these moves in southern Lebanon “are not fast enough and there is still much work to be done.”
Israeli soldiers from the 769th Brigade continue to operate in southern Lebanon, eradicating the Hezbollah threat. Image provided on January 24, 2025. (Photo provided by IDF)
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Israeli reports on Friday suggested that Jerusalem had petitioned the Trump administration to extend the complete withdrawal of troops from its northern neighbor for 30 days.
Fox News Digital was unable to obtain comment from the White House, State Department or Lebanese government.
