News | International
6 Feb 2025 4:46
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > International

    Israel delays withdrawal of troops from Lebanon days before deadline

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blaming the Lebanese Army's delay in taking control of southern Lebanon, insisting the IDF has to stay in place.


    Israeli forces will remain positioned in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline for withdrawal set out in the ceasefire deal with the militant group Hezbollah.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has confirmed the delay, blaming the Lebanese Army for failing to take control of areas of southern Lebanon previously controlled by Hezbollah.

    The 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force on November 27, after more than a year of conflict.

    More than 1.2 million people were displaced in southern Lebanon, and more than 60,000 were evacuated from northern Israel during the fighting.

    The terms of the truce included a demand for Israeli forces to withdraw from region south of the Litani River to the northern Israeli border, for Hezbollah to move fighters and weapons from the area and for the Lebanese Army to move in alongside United Nations peacekeepers.

    The deadline for those arrangements is 4am local time on Sunday, which is 1pm AEDT.

    In a statement, Mr Netanyahu's office said the country's forces would remain.

    "The outline for the ceasefire in Lebanon stipulates that the IDF's phased withdrawal 'should' be implemented within 60 days," a spokesperson said.

    "The clause was worded this way with the understanding that the withdrawal process may continue beyond 60 days.

    "Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the State of Lebanon, the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States."

    Hezbollah had earlier argued any delay in an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon should be "considered a flagrant violation of the agreement and an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty" and that the Lebanese government should do everything in its power "to retrieve the land and snatch it from the clutches of occupation".

    The US and France worked to broker the ceasefire, and have been overseeing the enforcement of the deal for the last two months.

    Israel has been repeatedly accused of jeopardising the truce through ongoing strikes in southern Lebanon.

    On Friday, Israeli media outlets reported that Mr Netanyahu's government asked the United States for an extra 30 days to pull its troops out.

    The new Trump administration said it was necessary to extend the deal.

    "All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbours," a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.

    "To achieve these goals, a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed.

    "We are pleased that the IDF has started the withdrawal from the central regions, and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalise the extension."

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

     Other International News
     05 Feb: Do you really need a top sheet in bed?
     05 Feb: Key takeaways from Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference in Washington DC
     05 Feb: Donald Trump says he wants the US to control Gaza and for Palestinians to be resettled in other nations
     05 Feb: Donald Trump pulls back from brink with Mexico and Canada as China braces for trade war
     05 Feb: Fijian MP Lynda Tabuya avoids expulsion, pursues legal action after circulation of explicit video
     05 Feb: Experts in the field — which players in the Big Bash League have played the most matches where they did not bat or bowl?
     05 Feb: Bribie Island community mourns 17-year-old shark attack victim Charlize Zmuda
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The return of veteran All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett is being felt at the Blues as they plot their defence of the Super Rugby Pacific title More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Strikes today and Friday by medical lab workers - could lead to five straight days of testing site shortages countrywide More...



     Today's News

    Accident and Emergency:
    One person is understood to have critical injuries after a collision between a car and a motorbike on the Hawke's Bay Expressway 21:57

    Entertainment:
    Lady Gaga gets so "vulnerable" on her upcoming album 'Mayhem' that just speaking about it makes her want to "cry" 21:34

    Rugby:
    The return of veteran All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett is being felt at the Blues as they plot their defence of the Super Rugby Pacific title 21:17

    International:
    Do you really need a top sheet in bed? 21:07

    Entertainment:
    Kanye West left the Grammy Awards just minutes after walking the red carpet with his partner Bianca Censori 21:04

    Entertainment:
    Taylor Swift changed her tour costumes to incorporate designs shared online by her fans 20:34

    Politics:
    Key takeaways from Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference in Washington DC 20:07

    Entertainment:
    Pamela Anderson admits she was "beating [herself] up" for not working "hard enough" before making her comeback in 'The Last Showgirl' 20:04

    Entertainment:
    Julia Fox would drop everything to be in anything Charli XCX does 19:34

    Entertainment:
    Cyndi Lauper will never resort to using weight loss jabs 19:04


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd