Lebanon reiterates demand for complete Israeli withdrawal
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The Lebanese leadership has reiterated its demand for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, after Israel refused to leave some positions along the border despite a Tuesday deadline.
The statement issued by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who is allied with Hezbollah, followed a meeting among the three.
Lebanon considers Israel's continued presence on Lebanese soil to be an occupation and, under a ceasefire agreement struck last year, all Israeli forces must withdraw from the neighbouring country by Tuesday.
However, Israel said on Monday it would temporarily maintain "a small number of troops at five strategic points along the border."
Under the terms of the agreement, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws.
But Israel accuses the Lebanese army of not moving quickly enough to deploy troops to ensure security in the south.
Israel fears that the Lebanese Hezbollah militia might restart attacks on Israeli residents in the border area. Cross-border fighting erupted following the attacks on Israel by Hamas-led militants from Gaza on October 7 2023.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel was determined to ensure the safety of the residents in northern Israel. To this end, he said, many more posts would be established on the Israeli border and reinforced with troops.
