San Francisco Frontiers - Israeli military begins Lebanon withdrawal as deadline approaches

Earlier, Lebanon's president voiced concern that Israel would miss the Tuesday deadline under the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and urged countries to pressure it to honour the cut-off.

"Israeli forces are beginning to withdraw from border villages, including Mais al-Jabal and Blida, as the Lebanese army advances," the security official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani earlier said that "based on the current situation, we will leave small amounts of troops deployed temporarily in five strategic points along the border in Lebanon".

He said the decision came "so we can continue to defend our residents and to make sure there's no immediate threat".

Israel had been due to finalise its withdrawal by February 18, after it missed a January deadline.

"We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow," President Joseph Aoun said ahead of the Israeli military's announcement.

The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire took effect on November 27, after more than a year of hostilities that saw Israel launch a ground offensive into Lebanon.

Under the ceasefire, Lebanon's military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over an initial 60-day period that was later extended to February 18.

Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.

- Lebanon army 'ready' -

Aoun said the army was ready to deploy "in towns and villages that the Israelis will withdraw from" and to "protect the border".

Lebanon was working "diplomatically to achieve the full Israeli withdrawal", he said.

Since the ceasefire began, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanon, with the military saying Monday it killed a Hamas commander in the south.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday said it was the government's responsibility to ensure the Israeli army fully withdraws by Tuesday's deadline.

During a joint address with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, top US diplomat Marco Rubio said that "in the case of Lebanon, our goals are aligned... A strong Lebanese state that can take on and disarm Hezbollah".

Netanyahu said that "Hezbollah must be disarmed. And Israel would prefer that the Lebanese army do that job, but no one should doubt that Israel will do what it has to do to enforce the understandings of the ceasefire and defend our security."

Aoun said Monday that "the important thing is to achieve the Israeli withdrawal, and Hezbollah's weapons come as part of solutions the Lebanese agree on."

Lebanon's government said the state should be the sole bearer of arms and vowed to liberate "all Lebanese territory".

Hezbollah was the only Lebanese armed group that refused to surrender its weapons to the state following the 1975-1990 civil war.

- Hezbollah left weakened -

Once a formidable armed movement, Hezbollah was left massively weakened by the latest war with Israel, which saw a string of senior commanders and even its longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah killed in strikes.

In spite of the truce, more than 100,000 people remain internally displaced in Lebanon, according to the UN's migration agency, and Lebanese authorities have said reconstruction could cost up to $11 billion.

Ramzi Kaiss from Human Rights Watch said Monday that "Israel's deliberate demolition of civilian homes and infrastructure" was making it "impossible for many residents to return".

M.Powell--SFF