Lebanese PM, UN peacekeepers call for accelerated Israeli withdrawal

BEIRUT: United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanon’s prime minister called on Monday for the Israeli army to speed up its withdrawal from the country, nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Unifil strongly urges accelerated progress in the IDF’s (Israeli military) withdrawal from and the LAF’s (Lebanese army) deployment in south Lebanon,” the force said in a statement.

It called on “all actors to cease and refrain from violations of (Security Council) resolution 1701 and any actions that could jeopardise the fragile stability that currently prevails”.

That came after Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the United States and France should put pressure on Israel to complete its withdrawal faster.

The United States and France, along with Lebanon, Israel and Unifil, make up the committee tasked with maintaining communication between the parties to the ceasefire and ensuring any violations are identified and dealt with.

As part of the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days.

“In order for the army to be able to fully accomplish its missions, the committee must... put pressure on the Israeli enemy to bring an end to all the violations” of the ceasefire, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in the town of Khiam during a tour of the south.

“It is necessary to put pressure on the parties to the ceasefire agreement, namely the French and the Americans, to accelerate the process before the expiration of the 60-day period,” he added, going on to accuse Israel of “dragging its feet”.

On Dec 11, the Lebanese army reported that it had deployed around Khiam, five kilometres from the border, in coordination with Unifil, following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area.

Accusations of violations

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday that “the Israeli enemy continues its invasion and attacks on southern Lebanese territories,” where it has “raised the Israeli flag” on a hill between the towns of Bayada and Naqura.

The NNA frequently reports instances of Israel dynamiting homes in border villages. For its part, the Israeli army stated on Monday that it was continuing its “defensive activities” in the south “in accordance with the agreement”, adding that it had “seized and dismantled various weapons and military equipment from a warehouse”.

The truce in southern Lebanon went into force on Nov 27 after more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that began with the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza.

The exchanges of fire ultimately escalated into all-out war and the entry of Israeli troops into south Lebanon. Since the truce took effect, both sides have accused each other of repeated violations.

Mikati said that he wanted to resolve any questions over the Blue Line — the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and Israel — “so there will be no justification for any Israeli occupation of our land”.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2024