Israeli military considering staying in Lebanon to pressure Beirut: Report

According to the official, Israel would prefer to have the Lebanese army deployed in the south while ensuring Hezbollah’s withdrawal.

“We don’t think that we’ll have the full backing of the US to break the ceasefire,” the official stated.

“The feeling is that there’s no point in reopening that front.”

The Jerusalem Post has also reported that Israel does not plan to withdraw from southern Lebanon at the end of a 60 day truce, with an official saying that the Lebanese Army is not ready to fully deploy to the border.

Israeli and Lebanese media have reported that US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein is set to travel to Beirut on Monday.

Seperately, Axios reported that Hochstein met Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh to discuss the election of a Lebanese President.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned on Saturday that his group’s patience “might run out” over Israeli violations of the cease-fire agreement.

Addressing critics of Hezbollah’s silence on Israel’s violations of the cease-fire deal, Qassem said in a televised speech that the group’s leadership “is the one that decides when to resist, how to resist, the method of resistance, and the weapons to use”.

Warning further, he stated: “Our patience (regarding these violations) might run out … and when we decide to act, you will see it immediately.”

In this context, Qassem added that the cease-fire agreement “exclusively applies to the area south of the Litani River, and the (Lebanese) state is responsible, along with the sponsors, for restraining Israel and ensuring the agreement’s implementation”.

Under the cease-fire terms, Israel is required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line – a de facto border – in phases, while the Lebanese army is to deploy in southern Lebanon within 60 days.

Data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon began on Oct. 8, 2023, at least 4,063 people have been killed, including women, children, and health workers, while 16,664 others have been injured.