Extension on the cards for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
The rocky 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is anticipated to be extended, UN and diplomatic sources have said, The National reported on January 24th.
The ceasefire is poised to expire on January 27th and although the presence of extensive fighting is not likely, more time is needed to instate the different terms of the deal, the sources said.
Israel and Hezbollah arrived at the agreement in late November 2024, following a year of fighting that became a full-scale war in September. The ceasefire requires that Israeli troops leave southern Lebanon and Hezbollah withdraws its fighters and weapons from the area, to be replaced by Lebanese forces. The 60-day timeframe will end on January 27th, 4am local time.
“We expect the ceasefire to be prolonged as the mechanism took some time to get in place, around two to three weeks,” a diplomatic source said to The National. “The events that happened in Syria affected the deployment of the Lebanese army to the south.”
Both sides have accused one another more than once of going against the terms of the ceasefire. A UN source has said to The National that a whole Israeli withdrawal is likely to be delayed.
Hezbollah has said that any violation of the agreement is unacceptable.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Israel has put an end to the hostilities and is in the process of withdrawing its forces from Lebanon. Barrot added that the Lebanese army has destroyed Hezbollah ammunition stores.
But Barrot stressed the necessity for further work. “Are we done? No. We will need more time to achieve results.”
The National
