The deadline for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon is expiring, but the troops will remain

A deadline for Israel to withdraw from South Lebanon expired early Sunday, but troops will remain in some areas as Israel says a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah has not been fully implemented.

60 day agreementimplemented by the US and France and halted 14 months of conflict, mandated 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 troops would be deployed in an area where, for decades, Hezbollah had been the dominant force.

This is the first major test for Lebanon’s new president, army chief Joseph Aoun, who wants to bring stability to the country.

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

It is not clear how Hezbollah will respond, but any resumption of hostilities is likely to face strong domestic opposition.

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

The offensive has killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon – including many civilians – and displaced more than 1.2 million residents.

On Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the withdrawal specified in the truce was “conditional on the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively implementing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani,” a river about 30 km (20 (20 miles)) from the Blue lines – the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel.

“As the ceasefire agreement has yet to be fully implemented by the Lebanese state, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, fully in coordination with the US,” the statement said, without specifying how long Israeli forces could remain in Lebanon. .

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

In a statement on Saturday, the Lebanese army said it was still “implementing the deployment improvement plan” in areas along the border, but that at some stages there were “delays due to the Israeli enemy’s delay in withdrawal, complicating the military deployment of the army missions”.

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

There was no immediate reaction from Hezbollah. On Thursday, the group said failure to meet the deadline would be “a sharp violation of the agreement, a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the 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 talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said Israel had said more time was needed to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon and that the initial plan was for a 30-day extension.

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

A militant, political and social movement supported by the Iranian language, it was severely weakened in the conflict with Israel, although it still enjoys 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 longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Despite some violations, the ceasefire halted the 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 continue its attacks, Hezbollah will face opposition from critics, who have accused the group of dragging Lebanon into a war that was not in the country’s interest, and perhaps even from some of its supporters.

Hezbollah’s political influence has also declined.

Earlier this month, Lebanon’s parliament succeeded elect a president after more than two years of political deadlock Blame the critics for the group.

The AOUN has promised ambitious reforms to restore state institutions long plagued by corruption, revive the collapsed economy after years of crisis and the right to monopolize the ownership of weapons, which would mean an attempt to curb Hezbollah’s military power.

It remains 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 goal in the war against Hezbollah was to allow the return of around 60,000 residents who had been displaced from communities in the north of the country due to the group’s attacks and to remove it from areas along the border.

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