Israel must withdraw from Lebanon by January 26 deadline: President Aoun | Israel attacked Lebanon News
The comments by Lebanon’s new president come after the UN chief called on Israel to end its ‘occupation’ of southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s new president demanded that Israel must withdraw from his country’s south by a Jan. 26 deadline agreed in last year’s Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire as he met with the United Nations chief visiting the war-torn country.
“The continuation of Israeli violations on land and in the air, especially in terms of blowing up houses and destroying border villages, is completely contrary to what is stated in the cease-fire agreement and is considered a continuation of violations of Lebanese sovereignty and the will of the international community. community,” President Joseph Aoun’s office said Saturday after his meeting with Antonio Guterres in Beirut.
Guterres said he would “make every effort” to ensure the “safe” withdrawal of forces by the January 26 deadline set by the agreement reached on November 27.
Guterres said that under Aoun’s leadership, Lebanon is looking forward to a “more hopeful future” in which the country could become stable and a center in the Middle East.
Aoun was elected in January after a deal between Lebanon’s political parties ended a two-year power vacuum that further destabilized the country as it faced Israeli attacks and a turbulent economy.
president, who is a former army chiefhe also emphasized his support for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is tasked with securing the southern part of the country as part of Resolution 1701, which ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
The message Guterres sent in Lebanon was one of support for the new president and new prime minister Nawaf Salamsaid Al Jazeera journalist Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut.
“What Guterres is saying is that the international community will stand by them and help them in their recovery efforts. Lebanon has had some difficult years. The economy has almost collapsed, the state is almost bankrupt, there is a financial crisis and the currency has lost much of its value.”
As part of the truce, Hezbollah is supposed to withdraw behind the Litani River, located some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel, and dismantle all remaining military infrastructure.
UN peacekeepers have found more than 100 weapons caches belonging to “Hezbollah or other armed groups” in southern Lebanon, Guterres said on Friday, calling on Israel to end its “occupation” of the area.
The Lebanese army is gradually being deployed further south along with UN peacekeeping forces, while Israeli military troops have been gradually withdrawing.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Beirut on Friday, said in total Israel’s withdrawal from the area must be “accelerated” and the Lebanese army got stronger.
While the UN’s Guterres pledged more international support for Lebanon during his visit, the United States announced on Saturday that it would give more than 117 million dollars to the country.
The US State Department said in a statement that the funds would be provided as part of “new, expanded security assistance” for the Lebanese army and security forces in line with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
The Lebanese army, the UN and France have accused Israel of repeated “violations” of the ceasefire, as it has launched many attacks in its alleged attempts to “implement” the agreement.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech on Saturday that the Israeli army had violated the agreement “hundreds” of times.
“We have been patient with violations to give a chance to the Lebanese state responsible for this agreement, together with international sponsors, but I urge you not to test our patience,” he said.
