The duration of the Lebanese ceasefire agreement has been extended with the passage of the initial deadline
The US and Lebanon say the ceasefire agreement with Israel – which was about to end on Sunday – has been extended by mid -February.
Israel had deployed soldiers in Lebanon beyond the initial deadline, accusing the Lebanese government of not fully implementing its part of the agreement, which required the removal of Hizbullah from the area.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said that Israeli soldiers killed 22 people and injured 124 others, who were trying to return their homes in the south of the country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najeeb Mikati says, after contact with the US, the ceasefire will now be applicable till 18 February.
The initial ceasefire scheme announced in late November ended the 14 -month struggle between Israel and Lebanese Armed Group Hizbullah.
In an agreement with the US and France, Hizbullah was given 60 days to end his armed presence in the southern Lebanon and the Israeli army was required to withdraw in the same period.
Announcing the plan, the then US President Joe Biden said it was “designed for permanent termination of enmity” between the two sides.
But on Friday, two days before the deadline ended, Israel said that some soldiers would remain in the region as the ceasefire agreement has “still not fully implemented by the Lebanese state”.
A White House statement on Sunday stated that the time limit has now been extended by 18 February, and the negotiations will begin to return the lebanese prisoners after 7 October 2023.
Thousands of Lebanese residents have returned to the towns and villages near the border since the agreement was agreed, despite the warning that the area is still insecure.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said that 22 people were killed by Israeli soldiers in the area.
The Israeli army stated that it “fired bullets as a warning in many areas”, without telling whether people were affected, and captured many people, claiming that it could be “adjacent threat”.
The long -running conflict between Israel and Hizbullah – an Iranian -backed militant, political and social movement – increased in the last September. As a result, an intensive Israeli air campaign, ground attack in the south of the country and senior leaders of Hizbullah were killed in the entire Lebanon.
About 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon in the attack – including many citizens – and more than 1.2 million residents were displaced.
Israel’s declared target was to allow the return of around 60,000 residents who fled from communities in the north of the country due to Hezbollah attacks, and to remove the group from areas near the border.
The next day of Hamas attacks on Southern Israel on 7 October 2023, Hizbullah launched his campaign, saying that he was working solidarily with Palestinians in Gaza.
