From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 13, 2025
US signals backing for IDF staying in 5 southern Lebanon posts after Feb. 18 deadline
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump’s administration indicates that it supports the IDF remaining in five strategic positions in southern Lebanon beyond the February 18 withdrawal deadline.
“The United States views President Joseph Aoun as having a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead Lebanon away from the stranglehold of Hezbollah and Iran, and we believe that President Aoun has the mandate to do that,” a Trump administration official says in a statement to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity.
“The first test of that is whether the Lebanese Armed Forces actually implements the letter of the ceasefire agreement that Lebanon signed in November 2024 to counter Hezbollah’s efforts to reassert itself,” the official continues.
“Israeli presence in the five points directly bears on whether the government of Lebanon ultimately does what it has promised to do,” the Trump official says, suggesting that Israel’s sustained presence in those five positions will help the effort to prevent the regrouping of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
“Unlike the Biden administration, we will not be grading on a curve,” the official adds, appearing to claim that the previous White House was too lenient regarding the effort to combat Hezbollah.
