The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday urged Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon in accordance with the timeline set by the November 27 ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, backed by Iran.
The U.S.-brokered 60-day truce outlines a phased Israeli military withdrawal after over a year of hostilities, aligning with the 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that ended their previous major conflict. UNIFIL also pointed to alleged Israeli violations of the agreement.
Exactly 30 days after the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon was approved by the Israeli political-security cabinet on November 26, 2024, and went into effect on November 27 at 4:00 a.m., there have been calls in Israel's security leadership to remain in southern Lebanon even after the 60 days stipulated in the agreement.
In a statement, UNIFIL voiced concern over what it said was continued destruction by Israeli forces of residential areas, farmland and infrastructure in south Lebanon, deeming this a violation of U.N. Resolution 1701.
The IDF presented the American apparatus with plans with timetables for withdrawal, with each stage dependent on the actions of the Lebanese army. The message conveyed to the United States, which heads the apparatus, and coordinates activity between the IDF, the Lebanese army, and UNIFIL, is that only after the conditions are fulfilled will Israel withdraw from Lebanon, while according to Israel, the withdrawal process will be carried out gradually.
In addition, in the past two weeks, Israel has identified attempts by Hezbollah to transfer operatives from Syria to Lebanon. Following the remarks and other actions of Hezbollah identified in Israel, the message conveyed by Israel to international bodies is: "We will not withdraw from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah does not withdraw north of the Litani River and the Lebanese army is deployed on the border."
* Kikar Hashabbat contributed to this article.
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