As Deadline for Withdrawal Lapses, Israel Says It Will Stay in Southern Lebanon

Israel said it would remain in a handful of positions in southern Lebanon as the deadline elapsed for the Israeli military and Hezbollah forces to withdraw from the area on Tuesday, raising fears that a sustained Israeli presence could undermine the fragile truce there.

After a cease-fire in November ended the deadliest war between the two sides in decades, both the Israeli military and Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed group, were supposed to cede control of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military by the end of January.

The deadline was ultimately extended to Feb. 18, following deadly violence at the border.

On Monday, Israel announced that its forces would remain temporarily in five “strategic” points just over the border in Lebanese territory until the Lebanese military fully implements its end of the agreement, according to a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani. He declined to say how long the troops would stay there.

The move has set the stage for what could be a renewed bout of violence, with thousands of Lebanese residents still unable to return to occupied towns amid repeated warnings by the Israeli military.

Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported on Tuesday that Israel had withdrawn from the towns and villages that it still occupied along the border. The Lebanese military, however, continued to warn civilians not to return to those areas just yet.