Israel is looking for another expansion of the term of lifting its troops from South Lebanon, says Western diplomatic source, a request that probably causes new problems in the country with the history of Israeli occupation.
Israeli troops had to pull out next week, but the source reported that the BBC Israel wanted its military to stay in five more days, by February 28.
The ceasefire, which ended with 14 months of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, was launched by the United States and France and came into force on November 27.
This requires the abolition of Israeli troops from South Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah and from there.
At the same time, thousands of Lebanese soldiers are expected to be located in the region, where Hezbollah has been dominant for decades.
The ceasefire has already been expanded once – the initial term was on January 26 – after Israel stated that the Lebanese state did not fully implement the deal. Lebanon accused Israel of delaying his removal.
One of the priorities of the new Lebanese government is the restoration of the country’s territorial sovereignty, and the authorities strongly rejected another delay.
On Wednesday, President Joseph Aun insisted that there was no truth to report that another expansion was agreed, his office said. He also “repeatedly emphasized Lebanon’s perseverance to the complete abolition of Israeli troops” until Tuesday.
The permanent presence of Israeli troops is anxious for many in Lebanon, when Israel has held south for 18 years, between 1982 and 2000.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel continued to target Hezbollah and promised to have more attacks on the Iran’s group to stop it from the perestroika or restoration of its forces.
On Wednesday, Israeli military aircraft for the first time since the time since the ceasefire began.
Hezbollah, who is a militant, political and social movement, was strongly weakened in the conflict with Israel, although it continues to receive considerable support among the Muslim Shi in Lebanon.
The ceasefire transaction was widely regarded as the group’s surrender, after it saw its infrastructure and arms of the arsenal exhausted, and hundreds of fighters and key figures who died, including the longtime leader Hassan Nasurala.
The conflict increased in September last year, when Israel launched an intensive air campaign on Lebanon, enchanted the elder leaders of Hezbollah and invaded South Lebanon.
The Lebanese offensive killed about 4,000 people – including many civilians – and led to the movement of more than 1.2 million residents, the Lebanese authorities say. It also caused billions of dollars to destroy and damage.
The stated goal of Israel in his war against Hezbolla was to allow about 60,000 residents who were moved from communities to the north of the country from the missile, mortar and unmanned attacks, as well as the removal of weapons and infrastructure from the border.
On October 7, 2023, Hezbollah launched its campaign the day after Hamas attacks on South Israel, saying that it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
