The US conveyed to Israel on Monday that Israeli forces must withdraw from southern Lebanon by February 18, with no further extensions to the ceasefire being granted.
Israeli officials told the Jerusalem Post that, despite the firm deadline, Israel is still in talks with the US as part of attempts to improve the situation on the ground.
The IDF is expected to withdraw from other areas in southern Lebanon in the coming days, and the US administration has stated that it appears the Lebanese army will be fully deployed by February 18.
The Hezbollah ceasefire
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, which was initially slated to take 60 days and expire on January 27, was extended last month to February 18.
The ceasefire put an end to year-long fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The US and the Lebanese government agreed to extend the deadline after Israel claimed that the Lebanese army had not been fully deployed in southern Lebanon. As a result, Israel argued that its forces needed to remain in the area.
The US also reiterated its stance over the weekend when senior US official Morgan Ortagus, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace, visited Lebanon and Israel. Ortagus met with senior officials for talks on the ceasefire. During her visit to Israel, Ortagus toured the northern border with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
Ortagus’ visits came in conjunction with recent exchanges of fire along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. On Sunday, Israeli Air Force jets struck a Hezbollah tunnel that crossed from Lebanon into Syria and was used for smuggling weapons into the country. The IDF also struck munitions and launch sites in Lebanon that the military said were still in operation, and in violation of the ceasefire deal.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
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