The American mediator Amos Hochstein stated this Monday from Beirut that the Israeli troops remaining in southern Lebanon They will withdraw until “they are completely out” of Lebanese territory, while recognizing that this process “is not easy”.
Hochstein confirmed at the beginning of a brief appearance that Israeli troops They began to withdraw this Monday from the southern town of Naqourawhere the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) is located, and that the military has returned to northern Israel.
Implement the ceasefire agreement
“These retreats will continue until all Israeli forces are completely out of Lebanon and while the Lebanese Army continues to deploy towards the south and up to the Blue Line,” said the American in relation to the border strip that separates Lebanese territory from Israel.
The mediator has thus reacted to this new step to implement the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Shiite group Hezbollahwhich came into force on November 27 and stipulates a period of 60 days from then for the Israeli troops that had participated in the invasion of southern Lebanon to withdraw.
Likewise, after holding a meeting with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, Hochstein stated that the withdrawal of Israeli troops It will be gradual and expects it to be fulfilled within the established deadline. “And I want to say that this is not an easy process to implement. It is a difficult process,” he assured.
A “clear timetable for completing the withdrawal”
Hochstein He held long meetings with the Lebanese authorities this Monday and, in Naqoura, with members of the Mechanism for the Implementation and Monitoring of the Ceasefire in Lebanon.
He himself co-chaired the meeting of said mechanism – led by the United States and composed of the Lebanese Army, the Israel Defense Forces, UNIFIL and France – which according to the American “it’s working fine” and allows Lebanese forces to “implement the agreement by deploying in the south” after the withdrawal of Hezbollah.
“This process is not easy, but it is successfuland I believe that today’s withdrawal of the Israeli army towards Israel on the western side will be followed by other withdrawals until they are completely out of Lebanon,” reiterated Hochstein, who reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese Army and with the implementation of the agreement.
In this sense, Mikati has asked “to establish a clear calendar to complete the withdrawal before the end of the 60-day period,” according to a statement from his office, which also demands “an end to Israeli violations of the ceasefire, continued attacks on southern cities and the systematic destruction of homes and facilities”.
“The continuation of these violations and the talks about Israel’s intention to extending the ceasefire period are totally unacceptableand we put what is happening in the hands of the countries that sponsored the conclusion of these agreements and the committee in charge of overseeing their implementation,” said the Lebanese prime minister.
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