Reports: IDF may extend south Lebanon presence for 30 more days as Hezbollah regroups

A Hezbollah-aligned newspaper says Lebanese army officials have received “serious signals” from the US military official tasked with overseeing the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that the Israel Defense Forces could extend its presence in south Lebanon for an additional 30 days.

The Al-Akhbar report says the message sent by Major General Jasper Jeffers, Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) to the Lebanese military, is that the decision depends on whether Israel can “fulfill its goals of ensuring the end of [Hezbollah’s] ability to carry out a preemptive attack.”

The Kan public broadcaster reports that the IDF may delay its withdrawal from south Lebanon because the Lebanese army is not meeting its terms of the ceasefire and is deploying too slowly in the area, with Hezbollah regrouping.

Additionally, the Lebanese army is not attacking Hezbollah targets, the report says.

As part of the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers are deploying in southern Lebanon, as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days.

The IDF under the ceasefire agreement has until late January to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and, in the meantime, it continues to operate against and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure.

The truce went into effect on November 27, about two months after Israel stepped up its bombing campaign and later sent troops into Lebanon, almost a year after the Iranian proxy started attacking Israeli communities with rockets and drones on October 8, 2023, a day after its ally Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza.

The two sides have since traded accusations of violating the truce.