Senior security officials told Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan News, that the expiry date was not “sacred” and that withdrawal would depend on developments on the ground.
The agreement was modelled on UN Resolution 1701, which marked the end of the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 but was never fully implemented.
“The Lebanese Army is deploying in southern Lebanon but at a much slower pace than agreed,” one source told the newspaper. “And the question is: What to do on day 60?”
“We’ve committed to patience for 60 days and after that the current forces will become occupation forces and we’ll deal with them accordingly,” said Mahmoud Qmati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council.
Israeli tanks are seen on a road near the border between Israel and Lebanon (Photo: Avi Ohayon/Reuters)Mikati said he has also submitted a dossier to the UN alleging more than 800 violations of the ceasefire, including the bombing of villages along the border.
Last week, Israel forces reportedly pressed further into Lebanon to reach the Wadi al-Hujeir area about five miles north of the border – one of the most advanced positions they have reached during the ground offensive and subsequent truce period – before retreating.
UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon and a member of the ceasefire monitoring committee, has criticised what it calls “continued destruction” by Israel in south Lebanon and expressed concerns about the speed of Israel’s withdrawal, claiming that only one town, Khiam, has been handed over to the Lebanese Army.
A Hezbollah drone being intercepted by Israeli air defences during the war that ended on 27 November (Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty)Yoni Ben Menachem, an Israeli veteran military analyst with close ties to the defence establishment, said that Israel has no faith in the Lebanese Army to displace Hezbollah and could establish a “permanent” presence inside Lebanon.
Ben Menachem added that Israel could seek to create a “barrier zone” inside Lebanon, similar to what it has done in Syria – an option reportedly supported by senior Israeli military officials.
Michael Young, senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Center based in Lebanese capital Beirut, said the Lebanese army was wary of a confrontation with Hezbollah without political cover. The country has been without a president since 2022.
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Read More“I don’t doubt the army wants to implement the arrangement, but it’s much riskier for the army to enter into a confrontation with Hezbollah, even more so given that its resources have come under great stress because of the economic situation.”
The picture could become clearer next week after a visit to Beirut by US envoy Amos Hochstein, with Washington thought to favour military chief, Joseph Aoun, and a parliamentary session to elect a new president slated for 9 January. Delegations from France and Saudi Arabia are also expected next week.
“That would allow Hezbollah to say that the resistance needs to continue,” he said. “It will be exactly what they need to maintain this sort of armed presence in Lebanese society.”
A spokesperson said: “We strongly urge both sides to respect the terms of the ceasefire and open a pathway to lasting peace. Further escalation is in no one’s interests and could have devastating human consequences on both sides of the border.”
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