After nearly two decades of intermittent truces and recurring clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border, Hezbollah and Israel reached their latest ceasefire agreement, requiring both sides to withdraw their forces from Southern Lebanon by 18 February 2025. However, on the day of the deadline, Israel announced that it would not fully withdraw, opting to maintain a military presence in five locations within Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah—a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon— has been involved in a series of territorial disputes that have long fueled hostilities between the two parties . The conflict escalated dramatically in October 2023 amid the resurgence of the Israel-Palestine war. In a demonstration of solidarity with its ally Hamas, Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks on Israel, prompting retaliatory Israeli airstrikes. The violence intensified in September 2024, when Israel, citing security concerns over continued Hezbollah attacks, launched a large-scale aerial assault on Lebanon . The conflict led to the displacement of approximately 96,000 individuals in northern Israel and over 1.4 million in Lebanon, with casualties exceeding 4,000 in Lebanon and roughly 140 in Israel).
On 27 November 2024, a ceasefire agreement came into effect, requiring Hezbollah to relocate north of the Litani River and dismantle all remaining military infrastructure in Southern Lebanon. In exchange, Israel agreed to withdraw its troops over a 60-day period. However, after failing to meet the initial deadline, Lebanon granted an extension until 18 February 2025 to facilitate Israel’s complete withdrawal.
On Tuesday, 18 February 2025, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani defended Israel’s continued presence, stating, “We need to remain at those points at the moment to defend Israeli citizens, to make sure this process is complete, and eventually hand it over to the Lebanese Armed Forces.” Lebanese officials, however, denounced Israel’s continued occupation as a violation of the agreement and international law, warning that Beirut would employ “all necessary measures” to ensure Israel’s immediate withdrawal.
