A ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon that was agreed to last November will be extended until mid-February, the White House said on Sunday.
Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy that has been prominent in Lebanon for decades, agreed to a 60-day ceasefire deal on Nov. 26, 2024, which halted a yearslong war.
In a brief statement addressing the extension, the White House said the ceasefire will be in effect now until Feb. 18. It added that Israel, Lebanon, and the United States will “begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023.”
A spokesman for the White House National Security Council previously said an extension to the ceasefire was “urgently needed” to support Lebanon’s newly elected president, Joseph Aoun, and ensure Hezbollah does not continue to threaten Israelis with large-scale missile attacks in northern Israel.
The extension comes as both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement and as the deadline passed for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Friday statement that the IDF would only withdraw if the Lebanese Army carried out its part of the deal, which requires that they occupy the area south of the Litani River to ensure Hezbollah withdraws its forces to the north.
The Lebanese Army said its failure to implement the plan fully was “due to the Israeli enemy’s procrastination in withdrawing, complicating the army’s deployment mission.”
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Violence also erupted on Sunday as Hezbollah supporters tried to break through to villages occupied by IDF troops. The IDF fired into the crowds, killing 15 Lebanese and injuring another 83. One Lebanese Army soldier was killed while another was injured in the fighting.
The IDF said its troops “fired warning shots to remove threats in a number of areas where suspects were identified approaching the troops,” and that suspects who “posed an imminent threat to the troops were apprehended and are currently being questioned at the scene.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
