Deadline for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon expires, but troops will stay

The deadline for Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon expired early Sunday, but troops will remain in some areas as Israel says a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah has not been fully implemented.

The 60 day agreementwhich was negotiated by the United States and France and ended 14 months of conflict, stipulated the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah fighters and weapons from there.

At the same time, thousands of Lebanese soldiers would be deployed to the area where, for decades, Hezbollah has been the dominant force.

This is the first major test for the new Lebanese president, army chief Joseph Aoun, who is eager to bring stability to the country.

On Saturday, his office said “intensive contacts and consultations” continued addressing the situation in the south, including “dangerous Israeli practices.”

It is unclear how Hezbollah will respond, but any resumption in hostilities is likely to face strong opposition at home.

The conflict escalated last September, with an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon, the assassination of top Hezbollah leaders and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The offensive killed about 4,000 people in Lebanon, including many civilians, and led to the displacement of more than 1.2 million residents.

On Friday, the Israeli prime minister’s office said the withdrawal outlined in the ceasefire was “conditional on the Lebanese army deploying to southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws further afield.” of the Litani”, a river about 30 km (20 (20 km (20 (20 km (20 km (20 (20 (20 (20 (20 miles))) from the blue line: the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel.

“Given that the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully implemented by the Lebanese state, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States,” the statement said, without specifying how much longer Israeli forces could stay in Lebanon.

It was also unclear how many Israeli soldiers remained in the country.

In a statement on Saturday, the Lebanese army said it continued to “implement the plan to improve deployment” in areas along the border, but that there were “delays at some stages due to the Israeli enemy’s procrastination in withdrawing, complicating the army deployment.

He also urged residents to refrain from returning to border areas.

There has been no immediate reaction from Hezbollah. On Thursday, the group said failure to meet the deadline would be a “blatant violation of the agreement, an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty and an entry into a new phase of occupation.”

But the statement did not say how the group would respond if Israeli troops remained in the country.

A Western diplomatic official familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said Israel had said it needed more time to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon, and that the initial plan was for an extension of 30 days.

Hezbollah’s lack of comment on how it would respond is possibly an indication of the delicate position the group finds itself in.

The Iranian-backed militant, political and social movement was severely weakened in the conflict with Israel, although it continues to enjoy significant support among Shia Muslims in Lebanon.

The ceasefire agreement was widely seen as a surrender by the group, after seeing its infrastructure and weapons arsenal depleted and hundreds of fighters and key figures killed, including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Despite some violations, the truce ended violence that caused billions of dollars in destruction and damage, allowing thousands of residents to return to their homes in Lebanon.

If it decides to resume its attacks, Hezbollah will face opposition from critics, who had accused the group of dragging Lebanon into a war that was not in the country’s interests, and possibly even from some of its own supporters.

Hezbollah’s political influence has also declined.

Earlier this month, Lebanon’s parliament was able Elect a president after more than two years of political impasse Blamed by the group’s critics.

Aoun has promised ambitious reforms to rebuild state institutions plagued by corruption, revive the collapsed economy after years of crisis and the right to monopolize the possession of weapons, which would mean trying to curb Hezbollah’s military power.

It is unclear whether the military is able – and willing – to do so, amid concerns that any action against the group could spark internal violence.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah was to allow the return of some 60,000 residents who had been displaced from communities in the north of the country due to the group’s attacks and eliminate it from areas along the border.

Hezbollah launched its campaign the day after Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, saying it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.