The American envoy says that Israel will withdraw from southern Lebanon

A high-ranking US envoy, who helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, issued assurances on Monday that Israel would completely withdraw from southern Lebanon, as the nuclear deal called for. A fragile 60-day truce agreement This stopped the bloodiest war between the two sides in decades.

Envoy Amos Hochstein told reporters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, that Israeli forces withdrew on Monday from the southern town of Naqoura. The Lebanese army said in a statement that it redeployed in the town after the Israeli withdrawal.

“These withdrawals will continue until Israeli forces are completely out of Lebanon,” Mr. Hochstein said after his meeting with senior Lebanese officials. “Significant progress has been made in recent days, and I expect to see additional progress made in the coming days.”

in spite of The truce reached in late November is still holdingHowever, there is growing frustration among Lebanese and Israeli officials over the pace at which the ceasefire agreement is being implemented, with the deadline to meet the conditions fast approaching.

Mr. Hochstein did not specify when Israeli forces will fully withdraw from Lebanon, and it remains uncertain whether the ceasefire agreement will be in full effect by the end of the 60-day period.

The agreement ended a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful militant group in Lebanon that began firing rockets into Israel to support the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Iran supports Hezbollah and Hamas. Part of its network of regional agents.

After Israel launched its attack against Hezbollah in September last year, the violence led to the deaths of many Nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon More than a million others were displaced. The fighting has also seriously weakened Hezbollah Much of its leadership was eliminated.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have until January 26 to withdraw from Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters must withdraw side by side to the north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese army is expected to deploy in force along the border.

But so far, the Israeli army has withdrawn from only three of the dozens of areas in southern Lebanon where it still maintains its positions, a number that includes Monday’s withdrawal from Naqoura, where A United Nations peacekeeping mission is stationed.

Amid accusations of ceasefire violations by both sides, Lebanon also informed the UN Security Council that Israel has launched more than 800 “ground and air attacks” since the ceasefire came into effect.

In turn, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz accused Hezbollah and the Lebanese state on Sunday of failing to fulfill the terms of the ceasefire agreement, warning that Israel may be “forced to act” if progress is not made.

“This is not an easy process to implement; “It’s a difficult process,” Mr. Hochstein admitted at Monday’s news conference.

Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, threatened in a speech on Saturday that his group could start attacking Israel again if the country’s forces do not fully withdraw from southern Lebanon before the end of the 60-day period.

“When we decide to do something, you will see it firsthand,” he added.