«Hezbollah violates the truce, Israel will be forced to react». In the midst of the 60 days of ceasefire established after two months of war on the border between Lebanon and the Jewish state, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz raises his tone against the pro-Iranian militias “who do not respect the agreement”.
According to Katz, Hezbollah fighters have not yet retreated north of the Litani River, about 30 km from the Israeli border, one of the conditions of the agreement. “If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement and Israel will be forced to act unilaterally to ensure the safe return of residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the minister added. Israelis displaced from the area after October 7, 2023 should return on March 1, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced. But the situation on the border remains tense: since November 27, the date the truce began, both sides accuse each other of repeatedly violating it. On Saturday it was the leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, who warned that his people were ready to respond if Israel did not respect the agreement.
An Israeli official told the Times of Israel that Israel’s threats to remain in Lebanon after the 60-day ceasefire are primarily intended to pressure the Lebanese armed forces to fulfill their obligations and take control of southern Lebanon. In fact, Israel would much prefer that the area be garrisoned by Beirut’s regular army and that Hezbollah withdraw completely from the area, added the source, explaining that in Israel “the feeling is that it makes no sense to reopen that front”.
The Lebanon dossier was on the table of the security meeting called by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday afternoon in Jerusalem with a small group of ministers. The meeting was also expected to address the hostage issue and ongoing negotiations in Doha, with far-right ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir having already opposed the proposals put forward for a ceasefire. In fact, on the Gaza front, while the IDF has intensified raids against “Hamas targets” causing dozens of victims every day, indirect talks mediated in Qatar also by Egypt and the United States continue. Joe Biden’s envoy for the Middle East Brett McGurk also joined the negotiations in the last few hours – according to Axios – while the Saudi website Saudi Al-Hadath reports that Mossad chief David Barnea will arrive in Qatar on Monday to discuss the details of the draft agreement.
A Hamas official announced to Reuters that the Palestinian movement had approved the list of 34 hostages, as requested by Israel, to be released in the first phase.
