Israel Offers Full Pullout from Lebanon If Hezbollah Disarmed
Israel said it’s willing to start withdrawing its troops from Lebanon if the government there follows through with a plan to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah by year’s end.
The offer marks a rare public overture by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called the decision by Lebanon to task the army with demilitarizing the Lebanese militia “momentous.”
Israel agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire deal with Hezbollah last year, including the withdrawal of troops from Lebanese territory on the condition that the militia group be disarmed. Although it mostly retreated, Israel said soldiers would remain in five outposts across the border to monitor any attempt by Hezbollah — designated a terrorist group by the US and many other countries — to rebuild its capabilities along the frontier.
“If the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) take the necessary steps to implement the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction of IDF presence,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.
The neighboring countries can now “move forward in a spirit of cooperation” and Israel is ready to provide support, it added without elaborating on what this might entail.
Israel’s offer to pull out the remaining troops from southern Lebanon comes as the country intensifies its operations in Gaza. On Monday, a strike on a hospital in the south of the Palestinian territory killed 19 people, including four journalists, a report by the Associated Press says, citing the Hamas-run health ministry.
Neither Israel’s military nor the Prime Minister’s office immediately responded to questions about the strike, it adds.
The government in Beirut, formed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam after the truce, is seeking to overcome chronic financial crises through reforms. Demilitarizing Hezbollah is a step encouraged by the US. Though battered by Israeli forces, Hezbollah has vowed to resist.
On Sunday, Israel hosted US envoys Thomas Barrack and Morgan Ortagus, who have been shuttling to Lebanon in an effort to shore up the new government and the truce.
Source : Bloomberg
