Israel wants to remain in several points in Lebanon even after the planned withdrawal date of February 18, a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Israel requested to keep its troops in five posts in southern Lebanon until February 28, a Lebanese official told Reuters earlier on Wednesday.
IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed the IDF’s extended presence in Lebanon, in a post to X/Twitter on Wednesday.
#عاجل إعلان عاجل إلى سكان لبنان وخاصة الجنوب اللبناني! تم تمديد فترة تطبيق الاتفاق ولا يزال جيش الدفاع منتشرًا في الميدان ولذلك يمنع الانتقال جنوبًا. جيش الدفاع لا ينوي المساس بكم. من أجل سلامتكم يحظر عليكم العودة إلى منازلكم في المناطق المعنية حتى إشعار آخر. كل من يتحرك… pic.twitter.com/I7q2NcA1OG
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) February 12, 2025
Under a ceasefire deal agreed in November between Lebanon and Israel, IDF troops had until January 26 to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
The deal was already extended until February 18, but the sources said Israel had requested an additional extension through the committee overseeing the ceasefire.
The US conveyed to Israel on Monday that the IDF must withdraw from southern Lebanon by February 18, with no further extensions to the ceasefire being granted.
US National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes had told the Post that “Israel’s withdrawal remains on the existing timeline, and they did not request an extension.”
IDF previously expected to withdraw by February 18
The IDF had been expected to withdraw from other areas in southern Lebanon in the coming days, and the US administration had stated that it appears the Lebanese Army would be fully deployed by February 18.
But the US and the Lebanese governments agreed to extend the deadline after Israel said the Lebanese Army had not been fully deployed in southern Lebanon, meaning the IDF needed to remain in the area.
The US also reiterated its stance over the weekend when Morgan Ortagus, deputy US special envoy for the Middle East, visited Lebanon and Israel. Ortagus met with senior officials for talks on the ceasefire. During her visit to Israel, Ortagus toured the northern border with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Ortagus’s visits came in conjunction with recent exchanges of fire along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
On Sunday, IAF jets struck a Hezbollah tunnel that crossed from Lebanon into Syria and was used for smuggling weapons into the country.
The IDF also struck munitions and launch sites in Lebanon that the military said were still in operation, in violation of the ceasefire deal.
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