Under the terms of the November 27 truce agreement that ended a war started by Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Armed Forces by January 26. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to retreat north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.
In recent weeks, however, Israel has assessed that the Lebanese army has deployed too slowly across the region, delaying the IDF’s withdrawal as a result. IDF soldiers are continuing to find Hezbollah weapons caches in areas covered by the truce, and army officials have reportedly said that Lebanon’s army is in some locations helping the Iran-backed terror group. (Read More)
