Israel stationed troops in the south of Lebanon despite the retreat periods

Israel stationed troops in the south of Lebanon despite the retreat periods

Israeli military presence in the south of Lebanons

The Israeli defense forces (IDF) will initially remain at the outpost in Lebanon "to protect our citizens and ensure that there is no immediate threat," said Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, a IDF spokesman on Monday. The military of Israel has identified a handful of strategic locations in the south of Lebanon that overlook the Northern Israeli communities.

background of the conflict

Israel and Hezbollah ended a one -year war in November, which was conveyed by a ceasefire, which was partly supported by the United States. A withdrawal period that was originally set for January was extended to February 18 at the request of Israel.

consequences of the conflicts in northern Israel

About 60,000 Israelis were forced to leave their houses in the north of the country after Hezbollah attacked Israel in October 2023 in the sign of solidarity with Hamas. Few of them have returned to the border cities devastated by rocket attacks. The decades of low -threshold conflict reached a highlight last autumn with an Israeli invasion and bomb campaigns that force more than a million Lebanese civilians.

state and military statements

"In view of the current situation, we will temporarily station a small number of troops on five strategic points along the border," said Shoshani. "We are committed to the ceasefire agreement. We consider it a good process." He refused to comment on whether the Lebanese government had approved the extension and only explained that the Israeli government spoke to the intermediaries of the ceasefire, led by the USA.

publicly Lebanese leaders have expressed sharp criticism. Nabih Berri, the Libanese Parliament spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday that the United States had informed him about Israel's plan, which he rejected in the name of Lebanon. "I refused to talk about some deadline for extending the withdrawal," he said, according to the official Lebanese news agency NNA. "And it is the responsibility of the Americans to retreat." He added that if Israel stays at these locations, this means that the Israeli freedom of movement and aggression in Lebanon would exercise what was unacceptable.

allegations against the Lebanese government

Israel not to comply with its part of the ceasefire agreement by not being stationed sufficiently south of the Litani flow-an area from which both Israel and Hezbollah should withdraw.

military actions during the ceasefire

The IDF occasionally continued to bomb Hezbollah goals during the ceasefire and accuses the militant group supported by Iran to use military locations in violation of the November Agreement. In addition, the army destroyed buildings in the south of Lebanon almost every day to supposedly combat the infrastructure of Hezbollah. These measures have laid many cities in the south of Lebanons in rubble.

international reactions

The US military, which together with the United Nations and France leads a committee for the management of the ceasefire and the discussion of conflicts, has vaguely stated and avoided confirming that Israel will comply with its obligation to withdraw. In a statement on Friday, Major General Jasper Jeffers said that the Lebanese armed forces "will have all the population centers in the southern Litani area under control before next Tuesday."

Jeffers has praised the Lebanese army in the past few weeks and explains that their "checkpoints and patrols work effectively" and contribute to stability and security.

effects on Lebanese politics

NAIM QASSEM, who, after the murder of his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah, took over by Israel last September as Secretary General of Hezbollah, said that there was "no excuses" for Israel's failure to withdraw. "That is the contract," he said in a speech on Sunday. "The Lebanese state has to take a clear attitude and say no - because if Israel remains in any occupied area after this date, it will violate the agreement."

French proposal to secure the withdrawal

The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday that his country had drawn up a proposal for the provision of UN peacekeepers to replace the Israeli forces at crucial points in Lebanon to ensure that the Israeli troops left Lebanon until the deadline.

This report was added by Eugenia Yosef, Nadeen Ebrahim and Pauline Lockwood.