Israel said it would remain in a handful of positions in southern Lebanon, when the deadline for the Israeli army and the forces of Hezbollah had passed to withdraw from the area on Tuesday, which would be concerned that the permanent Israeli presence could be undermined by a fragile ceasefire.
After completing the ceasefire in November in November the deadliest war between the two sides over the decades, the Israeli army and Hezbollah, a powerful group supported by Iran, had a control over the South Lebanon to the Lebanon Army by the end of January.
The deadline was eventually extended to 18 February deadly violence at the border.
On Monday, Israel announced that his forces would remain temporarily at five “strategic” points just above the border on Lebanon’s territory until the Lebanon army fully implemented its end of the agreement, according to Israel’s defense spokesman, pl. Col. Shoshani. He refused to say how long the units would stay there.
This step has prepared the ground for what could be renewed violence, with thousands of Lebanese inhabitants still cannot return to the occupied cities in the middle of repeated warnings by the Israeli army.
According to the conditions of the ceasefire, Hezbollah must also be pulled out of the southern Lebanon and is expected that the Lebanon army will be deployed there. Israeli officials have repeatedly accused Hezbollah of not following his end of the contract. Although the US monitoring committee appreciated the deployment of Lebanese military commitment, the body did not publish public data on to what extent hezbollah withdrew its weapons and fighters from the region.
According to Lebanese officials, more than two dozen people killed the Israeli forces last month when they tried to enter the southern border towns. The Israeli army said it fired “warning shots to remove threats”.
On Sunday, the leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qass, vehemently against the intention of Israel remains in the south of Lebanon – which has been handed over to the Lebanon government in recent days – but has stopped in recent days to commit to restoring attacks against Israel.
“Israel must be completely withdrawn on February 18,” Mr. Qass said. “This is an agreement.”
He added, “Everyone knows how the profession is.”
Despite their objections, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have no real ability to get Israel to withdraw.
Lebanon’s new leaders They tried to gather their Arab neighbors and address the United States in an effort to push Israel, but are considered largely helpless. And experts say that Hezbollah, a beaten 14 -month war with Israel, is also unlikely that the conflict would risk in the short term.
However, if Israel remains indefinitely inside Lebanon, it could strengthen Hezbollah in the long run, regional experts said.
“If Israel stays in these five points, it is an absolutely gift for Hezbollah,” said Paul Salem, vice president of international involvement in the Middle East in Washington. “It allows them to say that the profession cannot end diplomacy, and therefore Lebanon still needs armed resistance.”
The new President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, has committed that all weapons under the state control, a challenge for Hezbollah, which has long been controlled by excessive influence on Earth. It is not clear how Mr. Aoun will succeed in this effort.
The Lebanese army warned civilians on Sunday, so that they did not approach the southern cities until the army was there. The Lebanese army has accused Israel of the adoption of burned countries in recent weeks, including demolition and ignition in households because it has pulled out of towns and villages. The Israeli army did not answer immediately to the request for comment on this statement.
Israeli intention to stay in Lebanon comes on the back of the tension in the ground. After the Israeli Army defendant Iran from strengthening cash to his representative Hezbollah via Beirut Airport, the Lebanese authorities canceled flights from Iran last week. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters later blocked roads leading to a single country airport on protest and convoy of the UN near the airport got under the attack.
Violent protests meant one of the first main tests for Lebanese new leaders when they try to re -influence Hezbollah on Earth.
The Israeli army seems to have escalated its attacks in Lebanon during the term for withdrawal. On Monday, the Israeli army said it focused and killed Hamas commander in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, more than 20 miles from the Israeli border.
Patrick Kingsley and Johntan Reiss The report contributed.
