Middle East conflict
White House: Ceasefire in Lebanon will be extended
Updated on January 26, 2025 – 11:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon brought a long-awaited break in the war. After an important deadline, there was concern about what would happen next.
The ceasefire between Israel and neighboring Lebanon will be extended by a good three weeks. According to the White House, the weapons between the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Israeli military will remain silent until February 18th.
At the end of November, a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hezbollah after more than a year of shelling. The agreement originally called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon within 60 days. However, according to the latest Israeli information, this will be delayed. Lebanon has not yet fully implemented its part of the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office explained the decision.
The Lebanese army, which is supposed to ensure compliance with the ceasefire and prevent Hezbollah from returning to the area, is not moving in quickly enough. The deadline for the withdrawal of the Israeli army expired at the weekend.
The White House said Lebanon, Israel and the United States, led by President Donald Trump, would begin negotiations to repatriate Lebanese prisoners. It is about prisoners who were taken into custody after October 7, 2023.
Deadly incidents occurred in southern Lebanon on Sunday after the deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli troops had expired. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 22 people were killed by Israeli shelling, including a soldier. Another 124 were injured, including nine minors and a paramedic. Residents had tried to return to their homes in the south despite Israeli troops still stationed there.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) then warned that further violence would undermine the fragile security situation. The Israeli military “must avoid firing on civilians in Lebanese territory,” warned Unifil. UN special coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said conditions in the country did not yet allow residents in the south to return.
When the ceasefire was announced in November, then US President Joe Biden said the goal was a “permanent cessation of hostilities.” He was optimistic at the time. “Civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities and begin rebuilding their homes or schools, their farms and their businesses,” Biden continued.