Israel’s military announced on Monday that it would maintain forces in five locations in southern Lebanon after a deadline for its full withdrawal, initially set for February 18, passes. This decision has raised concerns about a resurgence of violence between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, after months of uneasy peace.
The Israeli military had previously agreed, as part of a cease-fire in late November, to withdraw forces from southern Lebanon by the end of January, with both Israel and Hezbollah expected to leave the region in favor of the Lebanese military. However, after a request for more time, the deadline was extended into February. Although the truce has been intermittently disrupted by sporadic violence—such as an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Monday—the situation had not escalated to full-scale warfare.
Israel’s announcement of troop retention in strategic points along the border highlights its concern over Hezbollah’s presence and its failure to fully comply with the terms of the November cease-fire agreement. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, explained that the move is meant to safeguard Israeli residents and ensure there is no immediate threat from Hezbollah in the area.
Hezbollah’s leadership, particularly its deputy leader Naim Qassem, strongly opposed Israel’s decision, insisting that the full Israeli withdrawal should happen by the agreed deadline. While Qassem refrained from directly threatening military retaliation, he warned of consequences for Israel’s “occupation.”
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which began in response to Hezbollah’s support for Hamas during the latter’s attacks on Israel in October 2023, escalated into a full war by mid-2024. This led to significant displacement of civilians on both sides and extensive Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon. Israel’s primary goal was to neutralize Hezbollah’s threat to northern Israel, displacing thousands of civilians in the process.