There are 72 hours left for the Israeli army to pull out from south Lebanon, according to a ceasefire agreement reached last November between Israel and Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked US President Donald Trump for additional time for Israel to maintain its military positions in south Lebanon as a deadline approaches, according to Israeli media.
“Israel has requested the U.S. for a 30-day extension,” to the Israeli army’s “deadline for withdrawing from southern Lebanon set in the cease-fire agreement,” Haaretz reported, citing a French diplomatic source.
The US, France, Lebanon and Israel are “are engaged in intensive discussions on the issue,” the paper noted, adding that according to the source, France “will accept” any agreed outcome that guarantees the ceasefire will continue.
‘Permanent Truce’
Under a ceasefire agreement reached last November between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli army is required to pull out from southern Lebanon within 60 days. With just 72 hours left, the Anadolu news agency reported, the time is fast approaching for Israel to vacate all the territories it occupied during its recent war against the Hezbollah movement.
Israel has reportedly requested an additional 30 days from the US to ‘complete the withdrawal of its troops’ from southern Lebanon, according to Hebrew media, just days before the 60-day deadline outlined in the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
According to Haaretz, a source… pic.twitter.com/VmhFJ4ACSQ
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“In four days, the ceasefire agreement in the north is set to transition into a permanent truce – and the Israeli army is scheduled to evacuate all forces from southern Lebanon,” Israel’s Channel 13 reported, according to Anadolu.
However, Netanyahu has asked the Trump administration to agree to keep five Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon, the broadcaster added.
Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to convene on Thursday to discuss the issue, the report added.
Strategic Military Positions
According to the channel, the request was submitted in the past 24 hours by Netanyahu’s close ally, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The report cited senior Israeli officials who said “the matter concerns five strategic military positions that form a buffer zone between the residents of northern Israel and the residents of southern Lebanon.”
The justification included in Netanyahu’s request was that “the agreement has not been fully implemented, partly because the Lebanese army is deployed in the area,” according to the report.
The channel emphasized that “there are a significant number of officials in the Israeli security establishment who, like Netanyahu, believe that they should remain in southern Lebanon (even after the 60-day deadline) – but only with the approval of the Trump administration.”
Ceasefire Violations
Meanwhile, the Israeli army committed eight ceasefire violations in Lebanon on Wednesday, bringing the total to 629 breaches since the agreement took effect on November 27, reported Anadolu.
Israeli army forces burnt a house in southern Lebanon on Thursday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the agency noted.
Israel Destroys Lebanese Border Marker, Observation Tower – UNIFIL
It cited the Lebanese state news agency NNA as having reported that the house was set ablaze in the eastern neighborhood of Qantara town in the Marjayoun district.
It came after at least 11 Israeli violations of the November 27, 2024 ceasefire agreement were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total violations to 633 since the deal came into force.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place, ending a period of mutual shelling between Israel and the that began on October 8, 2023, and escalated into full-scale conflict on September 23, 2024.
Under the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army must complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon within the 60-day timeframe which ends in a few days.
(Anadolu, PC)
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