Israeli Defense Minister Issues Strong Warning to Hezbollah, Fragile Ceasefire at Risk of Collapse

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on January 5 that if the armed group Hezbollah does not withdraw all its forces north of the Litani River, Israel will break the ceasefire agreement.

Defense Minister Israel Katz. (Source: EPA)

Speaking during a visit to Israel's northern border, Mr. Katz accused Hezbollah of not yet withdrawing "across the Litani River" in southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

At the same time, Mr. Katz affirmed that "if this condition is not met, there will be no agreement and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure that people in the North can return home safely."

The terms of the ceasefire require Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters and weapons north of the Litani River by January 26.

At the same time, Israel must withdraw all its forces south of the Green Line, the UN-demarcated border between Lebanon and Israel, to allow the Lebanese army to deploy forces to the area.

The ceasefire agreement ended months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in October 2023.

However, Israel continued limited military operations, allegedly targeting Hezbollah fighters violating the ceasefire.

Lebanon and France have accused Israel of dozens of ceasefire violations, making the truce even more fragile.

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