Report: US envoy Hochstein guaranteed Israel will withdraw from southern Lebanon before January 26

A Hezbollah-aligned newspaper claims US envoy Amos Hochstein said Washington guarantees that Israel will fully withdraw from southern Lebanon before the 60-day deadline stipulated in the November 27 truce that halted 14 months of fighting between the two sides.

According to the Lebanon-based Al-Akhbar newspaper, Hochstein made the promise when he was in Beirut earlier this week.

The US envoy was also reportedly updated on an agreement between the Lebanese military and the Iran-backed terror group on Hezbollah pulling its forces north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border — and dismantling any remaining military infrastructure in the south, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement.

Under the terms of the deal that Hochstein helped to broker, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws.

Agencies contributed to this report.