A short time ago today (Sunday), the IDF Spokesperson in Arabic posted a map of over 60 southern Lebanese villages, warning residents of these villages that they must not try to return until further notice.
According to the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is supposed to evacuate all the positions it currently holds on the Lebanese side of the border by January 26 and retreat to Israeli territory.
A report in Arab media stated that the IDF would first take five days to withdraw in the western sector, then five days to withdraw in the central sector, then five days to withdraw from the eastern sector.
The IDF is trying to ensure that it can remain on a number of unoccupied hills in southern Lebanon and build bases there to keep an eye on activity within southern Lebanon and ensure that Hezbollah does not return with either weapons or terrorists to threaten Israeli territory.
However, the United States is pressuring Israel heavily at Lebanon's behest to entirely leave southern Lebanon so that the US-backed presidential candidate Joseph Aoun can demonstrate success to the Lebanese people and weaken Hezbollah's hold on the country's political system.
Defense Minister Katz has openly stated that he considers adherence to the operative terms of the ceasefire agreement - the demilitarization of southern Lebanon by the Lebanese Army and the complete withdrawal of Hezbollah behind the Litani River - to be more important than the 60-day timeline for IDF withdrawal from the country.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has set up a committee to investigate its failure in battle against the IDF since October 7, one in which Iran is intimately involved. The purpose of the committee is to learn lessons from this round of war and improve, as well as fill all the vacancies created by IDF assassinations, including Hassan Nasrallah.
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