Israel says forces will stay in Lebanon past deadline as ceasefire deal stalls ...Middle East

Israel has announced its forces will remain in southern Lebanon beyond the Sunday deadline of the ceasefire agreement, a move strongly opposed by the Lebanese government and militant faction Hezbollah.

The office of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Israel Defence Force (IDF) would not fully withdraw on schedule but claimed this did not violate the terms of the ceasefire. The statement did not provide another date for withdrawal.

“The outline for the ceasefire in Lebanon stipulates that the IDF’s gradual withdrawal should be implemented within 60 days,” the statement said. “The clause was worded this way with the understanding that the withdrawal process may continue beyond the 60 days.

“The IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese Army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani River.”

“Because the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully implemented by the State of Lebanon, the phased exit process will continue, in full coordination with the US.”

Israel has been negotiating over an extension with the US, which helped to broker the ceasefire and sits on the monitoring committee charged with resolving disputes, along with France and UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL.

Lebanese parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, was informed by the committee in a fractious meeting that Israel would delay its withdrawal, Al Jazeera reported.

The Lebanese official reportedly said that thousands civilians would still return to their homes in Israeli-held areas after Sunday.

The agreement that went into effect on 27 November to end 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah stipulates that Israeli forces in southern Lebanon would withdraw over a 60-day period, to be replaced by the Lebanese Army, while Hezbollah fighters would withdraw north of the Litani River.

UNIFIL has urged Israel to “speed up its withdrawal” and criticised ongoing “destruction” by Israeli forces in border areas.

The Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, who took office on 9 June with US support after the presidency was vacant for two years, has urged Israel to stick to the deadline and accused it of numerous breaches of the ceasefire.

“The continued Israeli violations on land and in the air, especially in terms of blowing up houses and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement and is considered a continuation of the violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the will of the international community,” he said last week.

The Lebanese Army says it is fulfilling its obligations under the agreement and posted images this week of its forces deploying in some towns and villages Israel has vacated.

Israel denies breaching the ceasefire and claims its forces are destroying Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure.

Israeli forces were advancing in the town of Maroun el-Ras on Friday, and carrying out explosions in the village of Kfar Kila, Lebanese news outlet L’Orient-le Jour reported.

Hezbollah has also urged Israel to withdraw by Sunday, and urged the Lebanese government “to deal with it by all means and methods.”

“The matter is left to the discretion of the political and military leadership,” a Hezbollah source told Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar. “Of course, we will not accept any permanent Israeli occupation, and just as we expelled them before, we will expel them again.”

But the source said Hezbollah would not seek a return to war “unless it is imposed on us.”

The militant faction suffered heavy damage and lost most of its senior leadership, including Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, during the war in which more than 4,000 Lebanese were killed and more than a million displaced.

Tens of thousands of residents of northern Israel were also displaced, and most have yet to return.

Professor Kobi Michael, a military analyst at the Israeli think tanks the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, said Israel’s deployment in Lebanon would be open-ended.

“The IDF presence and activities in south Lebanon will continue until Israel will be sure that the new Lebanese president and government will be fully compelled, obliged and capable in forcing the army to do its job (of) dismantling Hezbollah,” he said.

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“I hope that the American administration will not make the mistake of forcing Israel to withdraw before the conditions have been set. Otherwise, it will not be surprising to find ourselves in a new war against Hezbollah.”

Michael Young, senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Center based in Lebanese capital Beirut, said US pressure was necessary to force Israel to withdraw and warned its continued presence would undermine the new regime and potentially revive Hezbollah.

“The Americans are the guarantors of this ceasefire. They have installed their general (General Jasper Jeffers) at the head of the monitoring committee. So are they going to accept this?” he said. “I don’t see any justification for this extended stay in Lebanon…It’s very bad for the president. All it does is play into Hezbollah’s hands.”

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