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Saturday, January 18, 2025
Lebanon’s new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal
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Lebanon’s new president Joseph Aoun stresses to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
According to a statement by the Lebanese presidency on X, Aoun tells Guterres during a meeting in Beirut that continued Israeli breaches were a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the agreed ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27 and was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.
Guterres says the UN would exert utmost efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal within the set deadline under the ceasefire terms, according to the statement.
He had said on Friday the Israeli military’s continued occupation of territory in south Lebanon and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory were violations of a UN resolution upon which the ceasefire is based.
Israel denies violating the ceasefire agreement and says continued strikes have hit Hezbollah fighters ignoring the accord under which they must halt attacks and withdraw beyond the Litani River, about 30 km (18 miles) from the border with Israel.
Israel says it only acts when the Lebanese army or the UN observers refuse to intervene.
The Times of Israel Community.