Israeli Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon Stalls, Lebanon Threatens UN Action
The deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, as per the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, expired on Tuesday, February 18th. Hours before the expiration, an anonymous Lebanese official told Agence France-Presse that the Israeli military had initiated a withdrawal from "border villages […] while the Lebanese army advances."
However, Israel had previously announced on Monday that it intended to "temporarily leave a small number of soldiers deployed at five strategic points along the Lebanese border," despite the Lebanese authorities’ insistence on a complete withdrawal.
Lebanon, denouncing this as "occupation," has declared its intention to approach the United Nations Security Council to "compel Israel to withdraw immediately," stating that its army is prepared to assume its responsibilities in the border region. The Lebanese presidency has indicated that it will continue reaching out to the United States and France to demand Israel’s "complete" withdrawal.
The Lebanese television network LBCI reported on Telegram on Tuesday that "the Lebanese army deployed overnight" in the localities of "Yaroun, Maroun Al-Ras, Blida, Mhaibib, and Meiss El-Jabal."
The agreement, which went into effect on November 27th, concluded two months of open warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, during which Israeli troops occupied southern Lebanon at Israel’s northern border.
Authorities estimate the cost of reconstruction at over $10 billion, while around 100,000 Lebanese remain displaced out of over a million, according to the UN. Despite the unprecedented scale of destruction, especially in border villages, the displaced await returning home to assess their property and recover the bodies of loved ones killed in the conflict, who have been left unattended for months.
Several municipalities have urged residents to wait until the Lebanese army deploys in their villages to ensure their "safety."
According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel was to have completed its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by January 26th, with only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers remaining. Hezbollah, in turn, was obligated to dismantle its infrastructure and retreat north of the Litani River, around thirty kilometers from the Israeli border. The deadline was subsequently extended to February 18th in late January.
The Israeli military has justified its decision to maintain a presence at five "strategic" points as "a temporary measure until the Lebanese armed forces are able to fully implement the agreement."
This announcement places the Lebanese authorities in a delicate position with Hezbollah, which, significantly weakened, expressed on Sunday that it was the Lebanese government’s responsibility to compel Israel to withdraw its troops.
"Hezbollah must be disarmed, and Israel would prefer for the Lebanese army to do it, but nobody should doubt that Israel will do what it takes to see the ceasefire agreement is kept and to defend our security," declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Amidst a national debate on Hezbollah’s disarmament, Lebanon’s new government affirmed on Monday that the state should maintain a monopoly on arms and vowed to "liberate the entire territory."
Hezbollah is the only faction in Lebanon that retained its weapons after the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Its detractors accuse it of forming a "state within a state." On Sunday, in Jerusalem, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Israeli Prime Minister expressed their expectation for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
