BEIRUT – The Israeli government says its military will not withdraw from Lebanon by Sunday’s deadline, in violation of a deadline set in a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
Israel was expected to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon as part of the deal but the Israeli government said some its forces would remain in southern Lebanon, blaming Lebanon for failing to uphold its end of the agreement.
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] withdrawal is conditional upon the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by Lebanon, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.”
Under the November ceasefire agreement, both Israeli and Hezbollah forces agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26, the end of a 60-day period stipulated in the deal.
Hezbollah warned on Thursday that if the Israeli military remained in Lebanon past Sunday, it would be “considered a brazen breach of the agreement.”
The Israeli military invaded southern Lebanon on October 1 – the culmination of a yearlong, low-level war with Hezbollah, which attacked Israeli-held territory on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas.
The Israeli government had told US President Donald Trump’s administration that it wanted Israeli troops to remain in Lebanon for at least an additional 30 days, an Israeli official told CNN. The Israeli security cabinet met last Thursday night to discuss the issue.
It is unclear whether the Trump administration has responded to the request or taken it to the Lebanese government. Former President Joe Biden’s envoy brokered the agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran.
In a statement, a US Department of Defense official appeared to suggest that the timeline could be malleable.
Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador in Washington, told Israel’s Army Radio last Thursday that a 60-day deadline set out in a November ceasefire agreement “is not set in stone.”
“We are currently in discussions with the Trump administration in order to prolong the duration of time needed for the Lebanese army to deploy and fulfill its duties according to the agreement,” he said. “There is an understanding in the incoming administration about what our security needs are and what our position is, and I believe that we will reach an understanding in this issue as well.”
In a statement to CNN last Thursday, a US Department of Defense official didn’t explicitly say whether the withdrawal was on track.
“The cessation of hostilities commitments that went into effect Nov. 27, 2024, state that IDF withdrawal from the Southern Litani area should be accomplished in 60 days,” the official said. “That timeline was set to try to generate speed of action and progress. And progress has been made.”
“The Lebanese Armed Forces have shown that they have the commitment, will, and capability to execute the arrangement,” the official added.
According to the November agreement, both Israeli and Hezbollah forces must withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26, the end of that 60-day period.
An Israeli official who described Israel’s request to the US said Israel has requested a 30-day extension and has said it would re-assess the viability of withdrawing from southern Lebanon at the end of that extension. The official said all of the outposts Israel has asked to maintain are alongside the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers will be the only forces allowed in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah must pull its forces north of Lebanon’s Litani River – a frontier beyond which the militant group was not supposed to have advanced under a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution. (CNN/ Israel Defense Forces)