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With around three weeks left until the end of the Israeli ceasefire with Hezbollah, it is still unclear if the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will honor the United States-brokered agreement and withdraw from Lebanese territories.
On January 4, the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) accused the IDF of destroying a blue barrel marking the border between Israel and Lebanon, as well as a Lebanese army observation tower near one of the peacekeeping force’s positions.
“This morning peacekeepers observed an IDF bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces immediately beside a UNIFIL position there,” the force said in a statement.
UNIFIL noted that the IDF’s “deliberate and direct destruction” of the blue barrel and Lebanese army infrastructure is a “flagrant violation of Resolution 1701 and international law.”
“We call on all actors to avoid any actions, including the destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, that could jeopardize the cessation of hostilities,” the force added.
On the same day, the Hezbollah-aligned Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that the Lebanese military officials had received “serious signals” from the U.S. military official tasked with overseeing the ceasefire that the IDF could extend its presence in south Lebanon for an additional 30 days.
The agreement, which entered into effect on November 27, is supposed to last for just 60 days, and ends with a permanent ceasefire.
According to the newspaper, the message sent by Major General Jasper Jeffers, Special Operations Command Central to the Lebanese military, is that the decision depends on whether Israel can “fulfill its goals of ensuring the end of [Hezbollah’s] ability to carry out a preemptive attack.”
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster also reported that the IDF may delay its withdrawal from south Lebanon because the Lebanese army is not meeting its terms of the ceasefire and is deploying too slowly in the area, with Hezbollah regrouping.
On January 5, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Israel was talking tough about remaining in Lebanon after the end of the ceasefire to pressure the Lebanese military to fulfill their obligations before the period ends.
Israel would very much prefer to have Lebanese troops deploy across southern Lebanon and ensure that Hezbollah retreats fully from the area, the unnamed official said.
“We don’t think that we’ll have the full backing of the US to break the ceasefire,” said the official. “The feeling is that there’s no point in reopening that front.”
On the same day, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if Hezbollah does not withdraw from southern Lebanon “there will be no agreement,” and Israel will be forced to act.
“Israel is interested in the implementation of the agreement in Lebanon and will continue to enforce it fully and without compromise to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Katz said during a visit to an IDF base in northern Israel.
“But the first condition for the implementation of the agreement is the complete withdrawal of the Hezbollah terror organization beyond the Litani River, the dismantling of all weapons, and the [removal] of the terror infrastructure in the area by the Lebanese army, something that hasn’t happened yet,” he continued.
“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act independently to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Katz added.
On January 6, the Lebanese military announced that it had deployed to some areas in the western sector of southern Lebanon after the IDF withdrew.
Lebanese army deploys with UNIFIL in Naqoura, South Lebanon
In a post on the X social network, the military said that its troops deployed to areas surrounding the border town of Naqoura, in coordination with UNIFIL. It added that it will soon begin surveying the town to remove any unexploded ordnance left behind from the fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah.
The deployment was confirmed later on the same day by the U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein who was visiting Lebanon.
“The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqura…and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line. These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely, and as the Lebanese army continues to deploy into the south and all the way to the Blue Line,” Hochstein told reporters.
Amos Hochstein, Najib Mikati
All in all, it is still unclear if Israel will adhere to the ceasefire brokered by the U.S. Any Israeli attempt to violate the agreement could reignite clashes with Hezbollah. The group’s Secretary-General warned in a recent speech that he may run out of patience.
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