Under ceasefire agreement reached on Nov. 27 between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli army is required to pull out from southern Lebanon within 60 days
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked US President Donald Trump for additional time for Israel to maintain its military positions in southern Lebanon as a deadline approaches, local media reported Wednesday.
Under a ceasefire agreement reached last November between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli army is required to pull out from southern Lebanon within 60 days.
With just 72 hours left, the time is fast approaching for Israel to vacate all the territories it occupied during its recent war against the Hezbollah group.
"In four days, the ceasefire agreement in the north is set to transition into a permanent truce – and the Israeli army is scheduled to evacuate all forces from southern Lebanon,” said Israel's Channel 13.
However, Netanyahu has asked the Trump administration to agree to keep five Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon, the broadcaster added.
Israel's security cabinet is scheduled to convene Thursday to discuss the issue, it added.
According to the channel, the request was submitted in the past 24 hours by Netanyahu's close ally, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The report cited senior Israeli officials who said "the matter concerns five strategic military positions that form a buffer zone between the residents of northern Israel and the residents of southern Lebanon."
The justification included in Netanyahu's request was that "the agreement has not been fully implemented, partly because the Lebanese army is deployed in the area," according to the report.
The channel emphasized that "there are a significant number of officials in the Israeli security establishment who, like Netanyahu, believe that they should remain in southern Lebanon (even after the 60-day deadline) – but only with the approval of the Trump administration."
The Israeli army committed eight ceasefire violations in Lebanon on Wednesday, bringing the total to 629 breaches since the agreement took effect on Nov. 27.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place, ending a period of mutual shelling between Israel and the Hezbollah that began on Oct. 8, 2023 and escalated into a full-scale conflict on Sept. 23 last year.
