The IDF will not withdraw by the deadline because of Lebanese and Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire.
JNS Staff
(JNS)
“A short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed” in Lebanon before Israel breaches the 60-day deadline set in the agreement struck with Hezbollah on Nov. 26, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement on Friday.
President Donald Trump “is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel, while also supporting [Lebanese President Joseph] Aoun and the new Lebanese government,” Axios quoted Hughes as saying.
He added that Washington will work with “regional partners” to secure an extension of the Lebanon ceasefire.
With Israel’s announcement on Friday that it will not withdraw all of its forces from Southern Lebanon by Sunday, Hezbollah warned that it will consider the truce effectively terminated, while the Lebanese government urged the Trump administration to intervene.
According to Axios, the U.S. has entered negotiations with Israel and Lebanon over the last 48 hours to prevent the ceasefire from collapsing.
The report cited Israeli officials who said that Jerusalem remains committed to adhere to the agreement terms but require an extended period beyond the 60 days to fully withdraw from Lebanon.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Friday said in a statement: “The IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese Army deploying in Southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani [River]. Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the State of Lebanon, the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.”
Israel “will not endanger its communities and citizens, and will insist on the full implementation of the objective of the fighting in the north, which is the safe return of residents to their homes,” it continued.
The ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 27, meaning the 60-day goal date will fall on Sunday. The ceasefire paused exchanges of fire. Hostilities began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.
In a deliberation held at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee three weeks ago, the head of the IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin said that Hezbollah has committed hundreds of violations of the ceasefire terms, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on Wednesday.
The commander added that the Lebanese Armed Forces are aiding the Shi’ite terrorist organization, in locations where the LAF is manned by Shi’ite commanders and companies.
The IDF did not comment on the report.
Image: The international Israel-Lebanon ceasefire monitoring mechanism led by U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers (center) observes Lebanese Armed Forces 5th Brigade operations in southwest Lebanon on Jan. 7, 2025. Credit: U.S. Embassy in Lebanon.
