Deadline for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon expires, but troops will stay

On Friday, the office of the Israeli prime minister said the withdrawal outlined in the ceasefire was “conditioned on the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani”, a river about 30km (20 miles) from the Blue Line – the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel.

“Since the ceasefire agreement has yet to be fully enforced by the Lebanese state, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the US,” the statement said, without specifying how much longer Israeli forces might stay in Lebanon.

It was also not clear how many Israeli soldiers remained in the country.

In a statement on Saturday, the Lebanese army said it continued to “implement the plan to enhance deployment” in areas along the border, but that there had been “delays in some stages due to the Israeli enemy’s procrastination in withdrawing, complicating the army’s deployment mission”.

It also urged residents to refrain from returning to border areas.

There has been no immediate reaction from Hezbollah. On Thursday, the group said failure to comply with the deadline would be a “blatant violation of the agreement, an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty, and an entry into a new phase of occupation”.

But the statement did not say how the group would respond if Israeli troops remained in the country.

A Western diplomatic official familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said Israel had said it needed more time to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon, and that the initial plan was for a 30-day extension.