Hezbollah vows to resist Israel if withdrawal is delayed
Last Updated on January 25, 2025 7:07 am
Israel has asked the United States for an additional 30 days to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon. However, Hezbollah has demanded that Israel withdraw completely from southern Lebanon as part of the agreement.
In November, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, brokered by France and the United States, ending more than a year of fighting.
Under the agreement, Israeli forces were to withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon within 60 days, which expires next Monday, January 26.
Israeli government spokesman David Mensah said on Thursday that the Lebanese army and UNIFIL (the United Nations peacekeeping force) had already taken Hezbollah’s place, as stipulated in the agreement. However, these steps have not been fast enough and more work remains to be done.
Manser added that Israel wants the agreement to continue, but he did not directly answer whether Israel has requested an extension of the agreement or whether Israeli forces will remain in Lebanon after the 60-day period.
Al Jazeera’s Jenna Khodr reported from Beirut that Israel’s US ambassador said that Israel is in talks with President Donald Trump’s administration to extend the agreement by another month.
Khodr added that Hezbollah has threatened that if Israeli troops remain in Lebanon, they will consider it an occupation and will launch resistance.
Hezbollah said in a statement on Thursday that Israel must withdraw completely from Lebanon after the 60-day period of the agreement expires, and that it will not accept any violation of the agreement. It warned that if Israel does not withdraw, the Lebanese people will take new measures to resist the “Israeli occupation.”
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Israel must withdraw completely from Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israeli Army Radio reported on Thursday morning that the administration of US President Donald Trump was not as keen as previous administrations on granting an additional 30 days. The Trump administration wants a full withdrawal within the stipulated time.
However, Israel’s outgoing ambassador to the United States told the radio that he believes Jerusalem and Washington will reach an agreement on the issue and that Israel will eventually be allowed to extend the time.