From Lebanese president says Israel must withdraw from Lebanon by next week’s deadline
Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun delivering a speech after his election in Beirut, on January 9, 2025. (LEBANESE PARLIAMENT / AFP)
Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun says that Israel must withdraw all its forces from Lebanon by next week’s deadline.
In a statement, Aoun denies media reports of another extension to the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. The US- and French-brokered truce, reached in late November, gave Israel 60 days to withdraw while Hezbollah repositioned north of the Litani River.
The deadline was later extended to Feb 18.
Israeli and Lebanese media, citing anonymous local and Western sources, reported that the withdrawal deadline had been pushed to Feb. 28.
Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier at low altitude over Beirut and other areas on Wednesday — the first such incident since the ceasefire.
