PM Netanyahu Says Israel Won’t Complete Full Withdrawal From Lebanon By Sunday Deadline

|FOREIGN| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not complete its full withdrawal from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline set under the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.

In the first public confirmation of such a delay, following weeks of speculation, Netanyahu’s office says in a statement that “the IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese Army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani.”

Netanyahu says that since Lebanon “has not yet fully enforced” its obligations under the ceasefire, “the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.” The original 60-day deadline was slated for Sunday, January 26.

The prime minister says that the terms of the deal were worded “with the understanding that the withdrawal process may continue beyond 60 days.”

The deal’s text says that the withdrawal process “should not exceed 60 days.”

The IDF is currently deployed to several villages in southern Lebanon, mostly in the eastern sector. The Lebanese Armed Forces have deployed to villages in the western sector in recent weeks as the IDF has withdrawn.

The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah. The Iran-backed terror group warned yesterday that it would not accept the IDF staying in southern Lebanon beyond the 60 day limit.
|The Times Of Israel|