In accordance with the ceasefire agreement of 27th November, the IDF has withdrawn its forces from an area in south western Lebanon, around the town of Naqoura, which is close to the Israeli border.
- Following the IDF withdrawal, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed to the town and its surroundings, in coordination with UNIFIL.
- According to the LAF, “The deployment occurred simultaneously with the Israeli enemy’s withdrawal from the town.”
- The LAF says they will begin working to remove any unexploded ordinances left from battles between the IDF and Hezbollah.
- In parallel, US Envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut yesterday to meet Lebanese officials and attend a meeting of the international monitoring committee overseeing Lebanon's ceasefire.
- The US Envoy met with the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.
- Following the meeting with Speaker Berri, Hochstein said, the “IDF has begun withdrawing from Naqoura in southern Lebanon, and will withdraw from all Lebanese territory. Implementing the agreement in southern Lebanon is not easy, but we are committed to supporting the Lebanese Army.”
- Hochstein also met with Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, alongside the head of the ceasefire monitoring committee, US General Jasper Jeffers.
- Their discussion focused on the mechanism for implementing the ceasefire agreement. Hochstein said that Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon would continue until the IDF is completely out of the country.
The IDF’s redeployment is part of the ceasefire agreement signed at the end of November.
- This is considered the most significant withdrawal by the IDF since the start of the ceasefire agreement.
- This is partly due to the topography of the landscape, as Naqoura is located on a mountain ridge just above the Israeli coastal communities of Rosh Hanikra and Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra.
- Naqoura also has symbolic significance as the headquarters of UNIFIL is based there.
- Just last week the IDF exposed extensive military infrastructure that Hezbollah had embedded inside Naqoura. An IDF commander was quoted in the Israeli media saying, “When we scoured the village, we found unbelievable quantities of arms. There were warehouses, lookout points and military equipment in virtually every home.”
- The IDF withdrawal marked the third area that Israeli troops have withdrawn from since the ceasefire came into effect.
- Since the ceasefire began, as part of its operations to dismantle Hezbollah, Israel has continued to launch daily airstrikes, carry out detonations and bulldozing operations on buildings across southern Lebanon, and advance into areas it did not reach during the fighting. Israel is carrying out these manoeuvres as part of their understanding reached with the US that allows the IDF to continue to remove Hezbollah’s military infrastructure from southern Lebanon.
- With just three weeks remaining until the January 26th deadline for it to have fully withdrawn from the country, the IDF is still holding positions in about 60 areas of Lebanon,.
- While it says it is in line with and enforcing the agreement, Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have accused Israel of ongoing violations of the deal.
- The mechanism in place for monitoring the ceasefire agreement is led by US Army General Jasper Jeffers. He is supposed to receive reports from Israel regarding Hezbollah’s violations and pass them onto the LAF to handle. Israel has been dissatisfied with the slow pace of LAF’s responsiveness.
- So far Israel has presented dozens of violations:
- Most significantly, there are still areas that Hezbollah has not withdrawn from as promised.
- The LAF has not deployed on the ground on the scale stipulated by the agreement.
- Hezbollah has been relocating weapons from the south to areas north of the Litani River and has continued to rebuild and regroup.
- Earlier this week defence minister Katz said, “Israel wants to implement the agreement in Lebanon and will continue to enforce it fully and uncompromisingly to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes. But the first condition for agreement’s existence is a complete withdrawal by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation to beyond the Litani, the complete disarming and the removal of terrorist infrastructure in the sector by the Lebanese Armed Forces—and this has not yet happened. If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be obliged to act forcefully to ensure the safe return of northern residents to their homes. We won’t allow the emergence of a new threat to the northern communities and to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
The original 60 day period for redeployment is due to end on January 26th but Israel is exploring the possibility of extending this period, possibly by an additional 30 days. This will allow the IDF to continue clearing the area and give more time for the LAF to adequately redeploy to the area.
- Whilst Israel is concerned over the response by the Biden administration, President elect Trump is expected to be more flexible on the timetable of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
- Defence Minister Katz has instructed the IDF to prepare offensive operational plans if the ceasefire collapses at the end of the first phase. It is understood that the plans are in place and the IDF has prepared a bank of targets.
- There remains concern that when Israel does withdraw, Hezbollah will once again move back south.
- The Israeli government has set March 1st as a target date for the displaced residents of the north to return home.
