A top US official who helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah gave assurances on Monday that Israel would fully withdraw from southern Lebanon. a fragile 60-day ceasefire agreement ending the bloodiest war between the two sides in decades.
Speaking to reporters in Lebanon's capital Beirut, Ambassador Amos Hochstein said that Israeli troops were withdrawn from the southern city of Nagoura on Monday. In a statement, the Lebanese army said it had re-located to the settlement after Israel's withdrawal.
“These withdrawals will continue until Israeli forces are completely withdrawn from Lebanon,” Mr Hochstein said after a meeting with senior Lebanese officials. “There has been a lot of progress in recent days and I expect further progress in the coming days.”
Although The ceasefire reached at the end of November continuesThere is growing frustration between Lebanese and Israeli officials over the pace of implementation of the cease-fire agreement, with a deadline fast approaching for meeting the terms.
Mr. Hochstein did not specify when Israeli troops would be fully withdrawn from Lebanon, and it remains unclear whether the ceasefire agreement will be in full force by the end of the 60-day period.
The agreement ended a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful militant group that began launching rocket attacks on Israel in Lebanon on October 7, 2023, in support of a Hamas-led attack on Israel. Hezbollah and Hamas are supported by Iran. is part of a network of regional proxies.
The militants were killed after Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah in September last year About 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million people. The fighting also seriously weakened Hezbollah most of its leadership was destroyed.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli troops must withdraw from Lebanon by January 26. Hezbollah militants are required to withdraw north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese army is expected to deploy forces along the border.
However, so far the Israeli military has withdrawn from only three of the dozens of areas where it continues to maintain positions in southern Lebanon. There is a UN peacekeeping mission.
Lebanon has told the UN Security Council that Israel has carried out more than 800 “ground and air strikes” since the ceasefire went into effect, amid accusations from both sides of ceasefire violations.
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday accused Hezbollah and the Lebanese state of not complying with the terms of the ceasefire agreement, warning that Israel “may be forced to act” if no progress is made.
“It is not an easy process to implement; it's a difficult process,” Mr. Hochstein acknowledged at a press conference on Monday.
In his speech on Saturday, the new leader of Hezbollah, Naim Ghassem, threatened that his group may start attacking Israel again if the country's troops are not completely withdrawn from southern Lebanon by the end of the 60-day period.
“When we decide to do something, you'll see it firsthand,” he said.