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The United States and Lebanon say that the high -fire agreement with Israel, which should expire on Sunday, has extended until mid -February.
Israel had maintained the troops deployed in Lebanon beyond the initial deadline, accusing the Lebanese government of not completely implementing their part of the agreement, which required the elimination of Hezbollah of the area.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said that Israeli soldiers killed 22 people and wounded another 124 who tried to return to their homes in the south of the country.
The Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that, after contact from the United States, the truce will now remain in force until February 18.
The initial high the fire plan, announced at the end of November, ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and the Armed Group Hezbollah.
Working by the United States and France, the agreement gave Hezbollah 60 days to end their armed presence in the south of Lebanon and required that the Israeli forces retire during the same period.
When announcing the plan, the then US president Joe Biden said he was “designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities” between the two parties.
But on Friday, with two days for the deadline, Israel said that some soldiers would remain in the region since the high fire agreement “was not yet applied by the Lebanese state.”
A White House statement on Sunday said the deadline now moved to February 18, and that the negotiations will begin for the return of the Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023.
Thousands of Lebanese residents have returned to cities and towns near the border since the agreement was agreed, despite the warnings that the region was still insecure.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said that 22 people had been killed by Israeli soldiers in the area.
The Israeli army said he had fired “warning shots in multiple areas”, without specifying whether people had been beaten, and arrested several people who said he represented an “imminent threat.”
The long -standing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant, political and social movement backed by Iranian, intensified last September. This led to an intense Israeli air campaign throughout Lebanon, a land invasion of the south of the country and the murder of the main leaders of Hezbollah.
The offensive killed some 4,000 people in Lebanon, including many civilians, and led more than 1.2 million residents to be displaced.
The declared objective of Israel was to allow the return of around 60,000 residents who had fled the communities in the north of the country due to Hezbollah’s attacks and eliminate the group of areas along the border.
Hezbolá launched his campaign the day after Hamas attacks south of Israel on October 7, 2023, saying that he was acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
