Israel reneges on Lebanon withdrawal deadline for 2nd time

JERUSALEM

Israel on Wednesday backed out of a deadline for withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon for the second time in a row.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since Nov. 27, ending months of mutual shelling between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated into a full-scale conflict last September.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply.

An Israeli military statement, however, said on Wednesday that the withdrawal deadline has been extended, without giving an exact date.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said that Tel Aviv had asked the ceasefire monitors to extend the deadline until Feb. 28, a request rejected by the Lebanese side.

The army did not clarify whether this extension was a unilateral decision or had been agreed upon with the Lebanese side.

The Lebanese president’s media office, for its part, denied reports about extending the deadline for Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

President Joseph Aoun “has repeatedly emphasized Lebanon’s insistence on the full withdrawal of the Israeli forces within the set deadline of Feb. 18,” the media office said in a statement.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s office also denied any agreement to extend the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal.

"This is pure fabrication and completely false,” the office said in a statement.

The commander of the Israeli army's Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, earlier told Army Radio that Israel would be "redeploying in Lebanon next week and the agreement will be implemented," without providing further details.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army warned Lebanese residents against moving southward or returning to their areas in southern Lebanon until further notice.

“Anyone moving southward is putting his life at risk,” the army warned.

Lebanon has reported nearly 900 Israeli ceasefire violations, killing and injuring dozens, including women and children, since Nov. 27.