Israel is looking to delay its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which is expected to happen in the coming days.
Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy that has been prominent in Lebanon for decades, agreed to a 60-day ceasefire deal on Nov. 26, 2024, which halted a yearslong war. As conditions of the agreement, Israel would incrementally withdraw from southern Lebanon and would be replaced by Lebanon’s Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, while Hezbollah would move further north.
There are now concerns in Jerusalem about whether the Lebanese forces can uphold their part of the agreement, prompting Israel’s desire to delay its exit, which is currently set for Jan. 26, 2025, the same deadline by which Hezbollah is expected to be north of the Litani River.
“We are holding discussions with the Trump administration to extend the Sunday date to withdraw from Lebanon,” Michael Herzog, the outgoing Israeli ambassador to the United States, told Israel’s Army Radio. “I believe we will reach an understanding.”
Prior to the post-Oct. 7 Hamas attack conflict, Israel and Hezbollah last went to war in 2006, and that ended with the passing of the U.N.’s Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon and for Hezbollah to move north of the Litani River, which runs about 18 miles north of and parallel to the Lebanese-Israel border.
Hezbollah never complied with that requirement, and Israel is seeking to rectify that mistake by ensuring it moves farther from its border this time around.
Israel and Hezbollah engaged in cross-border rocket and missile fire for nearly a year before Israel escalated its tactics. Israel ultimately carried out a ground invasion into southern Lebanon and carried out an extensive aerial campaign in which it targeted and killed most of Hezbollah’s senior leaders, such as Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah has threatened to restart its attacks on northern Israel if Israel does not comply with the terms of the ceasefire.
IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi ordered the army to prepare plans for continued fighting in Lebanon.
Earlier this month, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, reiterated that Israel wants the deal to succeed but warned that it would not “compromise” on the complete implementation from every party.
“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,” Katz said.
President Donald Trump has publicly discussed his desire to see several conflicts across the globe end.
Despite Israeli officials’ argument that other parties are not holding up their requirements, U.S. officials told them that Trump does not want to see the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah “collapse,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
The Trump administration was not involved in brokering the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, though Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, played an influential role in getting the Israel-Hamas ceasefire across the finish line.
Trump is widely perceived to be a more pro-Israel president than his predecessor, though he has shown a willingness to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a way former President Joe Biden did not.
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Despite that, his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said last week that the administration would support Israel’s desire to go back into Gaza after the six-week ceasefire ends if they choose to do so.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, one of the mediators involved in the Israel-Hamas negotiations, said earlier this week that he’s “pushing” to start the negotiations for the second phase of the deal as soon as possible.