Israel is demanding the complete dismantling of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon and full operational freedom to act against any future buildup, alongside the withdrawal of militants north of the Litani River, as a condition for IDF withdrawal, according to i24NEWS citing journalist Lilach Shoval.
Israel has now publicly detailed three minimum conditions for withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon, according to a report by journalist Lilach Shoval as cited by i24NEWS on Sunday evening. The conditions are: the complete dismantling of all Hezbollah terror infrastructure south of the Litani River; the withdrawal of all Hezbollah operatives north of the Litani; and full Israeli freedom of action against any rearmament or buildup by the terror group.
This fresh report, from a journalist who has covered the defense establishment closely, expands on an initial report that appeared earlier on Sunday (at 16:50 Jerusalem time) in which Shoval cited Israeli sources presenting these three conditions. The earlier version was summarized by The Zioneer at 16:51 Jerusalem. The new publication, by i24NEWS citing the same journalist, adds no new conditions but gives the demands a higher-profile platform. The timing coincides with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi's visit to southern Lebanon on the same day, during which he described the ceasefire as "fragile" and Hezbollah as being in "very severe distress."
As The Zioneer reported on Sunday, the demand for unrestricted operational freedom effectively means that Israel reserves the right to strike Hezbollah targets beyond the ceasefire line, a point of tension with the Lebanese government and the international community. This position aligns with Prime Minister Netanyahu's previous statement (The Zioneer, Thu Jun 18) that the IDF would stay in southern Lebanon as long as security needs require, and with earlier reports of 300 Hezbollah targets struck in two days following ceasefire violations.
What remains open: whether the Lebanese state or international forces (UNIFIL) will agree to enforce the disarmament and withdrawal of Hezbollah, and whether the U.S. and others will endorse Israel's demand for unilateral freedom of action.
2 developments
- StrongIran conditions war-ending deal on Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon
- StrongIRGC issues two new demands: full Israel withdrawal from southern Lebanon and end to air operations
- DevelopingLebanese Speaker Reportedly Sets Conditions for Israel Deal
- ConfirmedIDF: Troops have full freedom of action across southern Lebanon against any threat
Source and signal
- Internal intake