Fragile quiet in the north: Lebanon opposes Israeli request for second withdrawal extension as deadline approaches

Five days before the Feb. 18 deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from its territory, Lebanon’s new government continues to push back publicly and behind the scenes against Israeli attempts to receive approval for a second extension.

The original deadline expired on Jan. 26, but was extended at the last minute with the approval of the U.S., which is part of the ceasefire monitoring committee along with France and the UN.

Following reports that Israel is trying to gain approval for a second deadline extension, the Lebanese government has made clear it will not agree and insists on a full withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The al-Liwaa newspaper cited political sources saying President Joseph Aoun has been in constant contact with representatives from the U.S. and France. The report added that Aoun communicated the Lebanese position to his recent visitors, including the Portuguese Foreign Minister.

“The Lebanese state is currently exerting intense diplomatic pressure, particularly at the presidential level, in order to compel Israel to fully withdraw from the Lebanese territories it occupied,” a political source told the newspaper al-Anbaa.

“Lebanon rejects any compromises or proposals that might undermine its sovereignty or impose temporary solutions at the expense of its legal and international rights,” the source added.

Meanwhile, there are continuing reports that despite denials by U.S. officials, Israel still wants troops to remain in at least five strategic points along the Lebanese border, as an informed source told the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

U.S National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the newspaper that “Israel’s withdrawal remains on the existing timeline, and they did not request an extension.”

However, a Lebanese official speaking to Reuters confirmed that Israel requested to leave troops in five positions for at least ten more days.

Despite Israeli concerns, the Lebanese army (LAF) is prepared to deploy and replace the Israeli troops in all its remaining positions, Lebanese security source told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The Lebanese state will reject any change of the ceasefire agreement,” the source reiterated, adding another extension would be “unjustified.”

While denying answering what would happen if the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remained in Lebanon after the deadline, the source noted, “The Lebanese army will implement any decision the government will take on the matter.”

Lebanese media also reported that U.S. deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus is due to visit Lebanon again before Feb. 18. During her first visit last week, Ortagus stressed that “February 18th will be the date for redeployment whenever the Israeli – the IDF troops will finish their redeployment.”

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the LAF was supposed to take over the positions vacated by the IDF and ensure that Hezbollah withdraws completely from the area souhth of the Litani River.

However, Israel has complained about the slow pace and the ineffectiveness of the LAF's deployment. The IDF has repeatedly struck Hezbollah operatives trying to salvage or move weapons, and reports suggest that LAF officers leaked intelligence to alert Hezbollah and enabled it to evade LAF raids.