Lebanon ceasefire deal extended as initial deadline passes
The United States and Lebanon said their ceasefire agreement with Israel, which was due to expire on Sunday, had been extended until mid-February.
Israel has deployed forces in Lebanon beyond an initial deadline, accusing the Lebanese government of not fully implementing its part of the deal, which would have required the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the region.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers killed 22 people and wounded 124 others as they tried to return to their homes in the south of the country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the truce would remain in place until February 18 following US engagement.
The initial ceasefire, announced in late November, ended a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
The deal, facilitated by the United States and France, gives Hezbollah 60 days to end its armed operations in southern Lebanon and requires Israeli forces to withdraw over the same period.
Announcing the plan at the time, then-President Joe Biden said it was “designed to permanently cease hostilities.”
But on Friday, two days before the deadline, Israel said some soldiers would remain in the area because the ceasefire “has not yet been fully implemented by the Lebanese state.”
A White House statement on Sunday said the deadline has now been moved to February 18 for negotiations to begin for the return of Lebanese prisoners held after October 7, 2023.
Since the deal was agreed, thousands of Lebanese residents have returned to towns and villages near the border, despite warnings that the area remains unsafe.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Sunday that 22 people were killed by Israeli soldiers in the area.
The Israeli military said it had opened “warning shots in multiple areas” without specifying whether it was under attack, and arrested several people it claimed posed an “imminent threat.”
The long-running conflict between Israel and Hezbollah – the Iranian-backed militant, political and social movement – escalated last September. This resulted in an intense Israeli air force campaign across Lebanon, a ground invasion of the country’s south, and the assassination of senior Hezbollah leaders.
The offensive killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon – including many civilians – and displaced more than 1.2 million residents.
Israel’s stated goal is to allow around 60,000 residents of communities in the country’s north who have fled Hezbollah attacks and to evacuate the group from areas along the border.
Hezbollah launched his campaign on October 7, 2023, the day after attacks on Israel in the south, saying he was standing in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
