Israeli military begins Lebanon withdrawal

Israeli military begins Lebanon withdrawal | Daily Tribune

BEIRUT (AFP) — A Lebanese official said Israeli troops had started withdrawing Monday from some border villages, after Israel’s military said it would remain in five “strategic points” hours before a ceasefire deadline to pull out.

Earlier, Lebanon’s president voiced concern that Israel would miss the Tuesday deadline under the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and urged countries to pressure it to honor the cut-off.

“Israeli forces are beginning to withdraw from border villages, including Mais al-Jabal and Blida, as the Lebanese army advances,” the security official told Agence France-Presse, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani earlier said that “based on the current situation, we will leave small amounts of troops deployed temporarily in five strategic points along the border in Lebanon.”

He said the decision came “so we can continue to defend our residents and to make sure there’s no immediate threat.”

Israel had been due to finalize its withdrawal by 18 February, after it missed a January deadline.

“We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow,” President Joseph Aoun said ahead of the Israeli military’s announcement.

The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire took effect on 27 November, after more than a year of hostilities that saw Israel launch a ground offensive into Lebanon.

Under the ceasefire, Lebanon’s military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over an initial 60-day period that was later extended to 18 February.

Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.

Aoun said the army was ready to deploy “in towns and villages that the Israelis will withdraw from” and to “protect the border.”

Lebanon was working “diplomatically to achieve the full Israeli withdrawal,” he said.

Since the ceasefire began, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanon, with the military saying Monday it killed a Hamas commander in the south.