Israeli soldiers stand atop their tank next to the border with Lebanon in Upper Galilee, northern Israel, in late January, Photo by Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- The Israeli army confirmed Monday that its troops will withdraw from all Lebanese border villages, but retain five strategic positions in southern Lebanon beyond the Feb. 18 cease-fire deadline as authorized by the United States, according to Israeli websites.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed that the Lebanese Army was ready to deploy in all villages and towns from which the Israeli forces will withdraw at 10 a.m. local time Tuesday, but expressed fears that the Israeli pullout will not be complete.
"The Israeli enemy cannot be trusted, and we are afraid that the complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow," Aoun said, noting that he would resort to "diplomatic means" as Lebanon "can no longer tolerate a new war."
Under a cease-fire accord -- brokered by the United States and France-- that ended 14 months of destructive war between Israel and Hezbollah on Nov. 27, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese Army was to deploy in the area within 60 days while Hezbollah fighters pull out beyond the Litani River.
The original deadline was extended from Jan. 26 until Feb. 18. Israel refused to complete the pullout of its forces from southern Lebanon, arguing that the Lebanese Army has been slow in redeploying, while Hezbollah still maintains its military presence in areas prohibited by the agreement.
Lebanon has accused the Israeli military of procrastinating its troop withdrawal.
According to The Times of Israel, the United States authorized the Israeli army last week to remain in the five points that are situated on hills within southern Lebanon near the border for an indefinite period.
Haaretz said the United States allowed an Israeli presence near the northern tip of the Galilee, but expects a full pullout later. France urged a full and immediate withdrawal.
The Israeli army said it was prepared to stay at the military posts, running from west to east near Jewish settlements on the Israeli side, until Hezbollah fully withdraws beyond the Litani River and the Israeli political leadership instructs it to leave.
The five outposts were not formally part of the Nov. 27 ceasefire deal, according to The Jerusalem Post. However, Israel has convinced Washington that the Lebanese army is not effective enough as of now to protect the Israeli border from Hezbollah.
The Israeli army also boosted its defenses on the Israeli side of the border, with several new posts, one in front of every Israeli border community. It cited better surveillance capabilities, including more cameras, radars and sensors and triple the number of troops compared to before the war.
On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Israel must withdraw completely Tuesday from all Lebanese territories it occupied during the war, rejecting any "pretext" or attempt to stay in the five points.
"This is the agreement," Qassem said.
The Israeli Army recognized that the Lebanese Army was "doing better than ever before" and was "surprisingly confronting" Hezbollah in some instances, but its performance was still below what is needed to allow the Israeli complete pullout.
Israeli army sources suggested that the forces could stay between two and eight months in the outposts, but even longer if needed "for security reasons." They would thus prevent "suspects" from approaching the Israeli border and the newly established army posts at the five strategic positions.
The Israeli army said Hezbollah supporters would stage protests as border residents return to their mostly destroyed villages and homes Tuesday, but no "direct friction" was expected as Israeli soldiers will not be present in any of the Lebanese towns.
Some 200 people have been killed or wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on returning residents who tried to force their way to their villages in southern Lebanon since late January.
The Israeli army has continued to strike suspected Hezbollah targets, destroying homes and bulldozing villages since the cease-fire agreement was achieved.
While it said that it succeeded in mostly clearing the 5-to-6-kilometer area close to the Israeli border of Hezbollah infrastructure and weapons, it stressed that it would continue "striking immediate Hezbollah threat" in line with the cease-fire agreement.
Some 60,000 displaced Israelis could begin to return to their homes in northern Israel on March 2 if the cease-fire continues, according to the Israeli websites.
Hezbollah was greatly weakened during the war that started in October 2023 in support of Gaza with daily cross border attacks. Last September, the Iran-backed militant group received devastating blows with Israel killing its top leaders, dismantling its military infrastructure and launching a ground invasion in south Lebanon.
More than 20,000 people have been killed or wounded in Lebanon since October 2023, though most of the casualties were reported following Israel ramping up its military operations starting Sept. 23.
Nearly 1.2 million people were displaced, mainly from the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as from southern and eastern Lebanon, because of the intensive Israeli air and ground bombardments.
According to Israeli count, some 46 Israeli civilians and 80 soldiers and reservists were killed in cross-border skirmishes and attacks on Israel.
