Israel warns Lebanon truce could collapse if Hezbollah doesn’t withdraw in south
By Catherine Nicholls, Dana Karni and Charbel Mallo, CNN
(CNN) — Israel warned on Sunday that the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah could collapse if the Iran-backed group does not withdraw beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon, one of the key stipulations of the truce.
Both Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement although it has largely been holding.
The two parties agreed to stop hostilities for at least 60 days from November 27. In this time, Hezbollah fighters were expected to retreat 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border, while Israeli ground forces withdrew from Lebanese territory.
The ceasefire deal stipulated that, before January 26, the only armed groups present south of the Litani should be the Lebanese military and UN peacekeeping forces.
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “If Hezbollah does not withdraw beyond the Litani River, there will be no agreement.
“Israel seeks to uphold the agreement in Lebanon and will continue to enforce it fully and without compromise in order to ensure the safe return of northern residents to their homes,” Katz said, according to his spokesperson.
“But the first condition for the agreement’s implementation is the complete withdrawal of the Hezbollah terrorist organization beyond the Litani River, the dismantling of all weapons, and the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure in the area by the Lebanese army – something that has not yet happened,” he continued.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a speech on Saturday that it was up to the group to decide whether or not it would abide by the 60 day period.
“Our patience (regarding Israeli violations of the ceasefire) might run out or it may persist as it is now … and when we decide to act, you will see it immediately.”
Tit-for-tat strikes have occurred on multiple occasions after the truce was implemented. Israel has conducted numerous operations in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has fired at Israeli-occupied territory, citing Israeli truce violations.
Less than a week after it went into effect, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said Israel had breached the ceasefire agreement “approximately 100” times.
On Saturday, UNIFIL said that peacekeepers had seen a bulldozer belonging to the Israeli military “destroying a blue barrel marking the line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces immediately beside a UNIFIL position there.”
The Israel Defense Forces’ “deliberate and direct destruction of both clearly identifiable UNIFIL property and infrastructure belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a flagrant violation of resolution 1701 (a 2006 resolution calling for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah) and international law,” UNIFIL said.
CNN has asked the IDF for comment on UNIFIL’s accusations.
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CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi and Mick Krever contributed to this reporting.
