Israel has requested to maintain its troops at five posts in southern Lebanon until February 28, according to a Lebanese official and a foreign diplomat who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday. This move is opposed by Lebanon.
A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, reached in November, initially gave Israeli troops until January 26 to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were also supposed to leave the region, with Lebanese forces set to deploy in the area by that date.
The deadline had already been extended to February 18, but now, according to the sources, Israel is seeking an additional ten-day extension.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, but the head of Israel’s Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordon, expressed confidence that the terms of the agreement would be followed. “I think we will indeed reposition ourselves next week, and the agreement will be implemented,” Gordon told Israel’s GLZ radio on Wednesday.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that Israeli forces remained in southern Lebanon after the first extension and advised Lebanese citizens not to return to their homes “until further notice.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the European Union to pressure Israel for a full withdrawal by February 18, as reported by his office after a meeting with visiting Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.
The ceasefire deal had put an end to over a year of fighting between Israel’s military and Hezbollah, which had been occurring alongside the Gaza conflict. The fighting reached a peak with a major Israeli air and ground campaign that displaced over a million people in Lebanon and left Hezbollah significantly weakened, with most of its leadership killed in Israeli strikes.
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have stayed in parts of southern Lebanon, and Israel’s air force has continued to strike what it claims are Hezbollah weapon storage sites or attempts by the group to smuggle arms. Hezbollah has rejected Israel’s reasons for staying and has called on the Lebanese government to ensure Israeli troops leave, although it has not explicitly threatened to resume hostilities.
