David Azoulai, head of the Metula council — Israel's northernmost town — welcomed the ceasefire's first quiet weekend but warned that a full IDF withdrawal must be conditional on Hezbollah's disarmament, according to his statement Saturday.
Metula council head David Azoulai, whose town bore the brunt of Hezbollah rocket fire for nearly two years, addressed the emerging ceasefire agreements in a statement Saturday. While acknowledging the tangible relief — "one week of quiet brought thousands of visitors back to Metula," he said — Azoulai drew a firm red line: "Without disarming Hezbollah — no full withdrawal. Without dismantling the terror organization — no agreements."
The statement comes after a week in which ceasefire talks advanced, with Hezbollah welcoming the deal and the Lebanese PM pledging to push for an Israeli withdrawal. Azoulai's position aligns with a recurring theme in his public statements since the hostilities: that security guarantees, not verbal commitments, must anchor any northern arrangement. President Herzog, visiting Metula earlier this month, described the border communities as "the front line defending the state of Israel."
Azoulai did not specify a mechanism for enforcing disarmament or a timeline for withdrawal. The statement, directed at both the military and the political echelon, joins a series of similar demands from northern local leaders who insist that returning evacuated residents depends on verifiable security, not diplomatic framing.
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- DevelopingHezbollah statement implies no full IDF withdrawal, no prisoner release in emerging deal
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