The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday confirmed that it will keep its forces in southern Lebanon as the 60-day truce comes to an end on Sunday.
Under the ceasefire deal agreed to in November, Jerusalem was to begin withdrawing troops from its northern neighbor – where it launched operations last fall in an effort to dismantle Hezbollah – and have all troops removed within 60 days.
But Israeli officials have argued that the IDF will not withdraw its forces, because stipulations under the deal, including the removal of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from the southern region of Lebanon, and the deployment of Lebanese and U.N. troops to the area, have not been adequately fulfilled.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday, ‘Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the Lebanese government, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.
‘The State of Israel will not endanger its communities and citizens,’ the statement added, noting that the withdrawal of Israeli forces was ‘conditional’ on the security guarantees from Hezbollah and Beirut.
The U.S. backed Israel’s decision and in a statement first reported by The Times of Israel said, ‘President Trump is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel, while also supporting President Aoun and the new Lebanese government.
‘All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors. To achieve these goals, a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed,’ White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes told the outlet.
‘We are pleased that the IDF has started the withdrawal from the central regions, and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension,’ he added.
The news that Israel may not be pulling all troops from Lebanon by the intended Jan. 26, 2025 deadline first emerged on Thursday.
Hezbollah, in return, issued a statement and called on the Lebanese government and the nations that helped broker the truce, including the U.S. and France, ‘to move effectively’ to ‘[ensure] the implementation of the full withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the last inch of Lebanese territory and the return of the people to their villages quickly.’
The statement urged governments ‘not to give room to any pretexts or arguments to prolong the occupation.’
More than 1.2 million people were reportedly displaced in Lebanon after fighting erupted amid Israel’s October incursion – a move prompted following months of missile exchanges with Hezbollah in the aftermath of the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
According to Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer, ‘There have been positive movements where the Lebanese army and UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] have taken the place of Hezbollah forces, as stipulated in the agreement.’
However, these movements in southern Lebanon ‘have not been fast enough, and there is much more work to do,’ he told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Israeli reports on Friday suggested that Jerusalem had petitioned the Trump administration to grant it a 30-day extension on fully withdrawing its forces from its northern neighbor.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House, State Department or Lebanese government for comment.