Israel must withdraw from Lebanon by January 26 deadline: President Aoun

Lebanon’s new president’s comments come after the UN chief called on Israel to end its ‘occupation’ of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s new president has demanded that Israel must withdraw from his country’s south by the January 26 deadline agreed in last year’s Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire as he met the United Nations chief visiting the country devastated by war.

“The continued Israeli violations on land and in the air, especially in terms of blowing up houses and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement and is considered a continuation of the violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the will of the international community,” President Joseph Aoun’s office said on Saturday after his meeting with Antonio Guterres in Beirut.

Guterres has said he will “exert utmost efforts” to ensure the “secure” withdrawal of the forces within the January 26 deadline set by the agreement reached on November 27.

Guterres said a “more hopeful future” awaited Lebanon under Aoun’s leadership in which the country could become stable and a hub in the Middle East.

Aoun was selected in January after an agreement between political parties in Lebanon ended a two-year power vacuum that was further destabilising the country as it faced Israeli attacks and a turbulent economy.

The president, who is the former army chief, has also emphasised his support for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), who are tasked with securing the southern part of the country as part of Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The message delivered by Guterres in Lebanon was one of support for the new president and new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut.

“What Guterres is saying is that the international community will stand by them and help them in their recovery efforts. Lebanon has had a difficult few years. The economy has all but collapsed, the state is nearly bankrupt, there’s a financial crisis and the currency has lost much of its value.”

As part of the ceasefire, Hezbollah is supposed to retreat beyond the Litani River, which lies some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border with Israel, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure.

UN peacekeepers have found more than 100 weapons caches belonging “to Hezbollah or other armed groups” in southern Lebanon, Guterres said on Friday, calling on Israel to stop its “occupation” in the area.

The Lebanese army has been gradually deploying in further areas in the south along with UN peacekeepers, as Israeli military troops have gradually withdrawn.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was on a visit to Beirut on Friday, said the total Israeli withdrawal from the area must be “accelerated” and the Lebanese army strengthened.

As the UN’s Guterres pledged more international support to Lebanon during his visit, the United States announced on Saturday that it will provide more than $117m to the country.

The US Department of State said in a statement that the funds will be given as part of “new, expanded security assistance” for both the Lebanese army and security forces in line with implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The Lebanese army, the UN and France have accused Israel of repeated “violations” of the ceasefire, as it has launched many attacks in its stated attempts to “enforce” the agreement.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech on Saturday that the Israeli military has violated the agreement “hundreds” of times.

“We have been patient with the violations to give a chance to the Lebanese state responsible for this agreement, along with the international sponsors, but I call on you not to test our patience,” he said.