Demands Disarming Hezbollah: Israel Withdraws, Keeps Forces in 5 Locations in Southern Lebanon

The deadline for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah expired at dawn on Tuesday, hours after the Israeli army confirmed its intention to keep its forces at five strategic points on the border.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said this morning that “according to the decision of the political level, the Israeli army will remain, starting today, in a buffer zone in Lebanon through five positions that control the entire length of the border, in order to ensure the defense of all Israeli towns and deterrence against threats from Lebanon.”

Katz added, “In addition, many positions have been established along the border line on the Israeli side and IDF forces have been reinforced. In parallel, IDF operations will continue in order to enforce strict and uncompromising measures against any breach by Hezbollah.”

He continued, “Hezbollah is obligated to withdraw completely behind the Litani Line, and the Lebanese army is obligated to enforce and disarm Hezbollah under the supervision of the mechanism established under the presidency of the United States. We are determined to establish full security for all the towns of the north according to the principle that was decided after October 7, because only the Israeli army will guarantee security in all areas against any potential threat.”

Before the deadline expired, a Lebanese security official confirmed that Israeli forces began withdrawing from border villages on Monday night, with the Lebanese army advancing to deploy there.

The Lebanese official said, “Israeli forces have begun to withdraw from border villages, including Mays al-Jabal and Blida, as the Lebanese army advances.”

Hours before the deadline expired, the Israeli army announced that it would keep “limited forces temporarily deployed at five strategic points along the border with Lebanon,” justifying this by continuing to “defend our residents and ensure that there is no immediate threat” from Hezbollah.

The Israeli announcement came despite Lebanon’s affirmation of its absolute rejection of the continued presence of Israeli forces, and its call on the sponsors of the agreement to intervene to pressure Israel.

The ceasefire agreement stipulated a halt to the exchange of shelling across the Lebanese border between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, after a war that lasted for about a year and included an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanese border areas.

The Israeli decision puts the Lebanese authorities in a predicament in confronting Hezbollah, which had held them responsible for working to achieve the withdrawal of Israeli forces by the end of the deadline.

The official text of the agreement has not been published, but statements by Lebanese politicians and American and French envoys have spoken of its broad outlines, including strengthening the Lebanese army’s presence in southern Lebanon, supervising Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the area south of the Litani River, and dismantling its military infrastructure. The agreement also stipulates Israel’s withdrawal from all areas it occupied in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s decision came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that “Hezbollah must be disarmed,” adding, “Israel prefers that the Lebanese army carry out this mission.”

Amid the controversy over Hezbollah’s weapons, the Lebanese government affirmed in its ministerial statement its commitment to “liberating all Lebanese territories, the state’s duty to monopolize the carrying of weapons, and extending the state’s sovereignty over all its territories exclusively with its own forces.”

Since the ceasefire came into effect, Israel has been carrying out airstrikes and bombings of homes in border villages, killing more than sixty people, about 24 of them on January 26, the first date scheduled for the ceasefire, while they were trying to return to their border towns.