The IDF completed the withdrawal of forces from Shiite villages in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, February 18th, the final deadline for the withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanon as part of the ceasefire agreement.

However, as an IDF spokesperson announced on Monday, IDF troops will remain in five strategic posts in southern Lebanon.

“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,” military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters, saying that the “security situation remains very, very complex”

It should be noted Hezbollah has violated the “ceasefire” hundreds of times, and not only has the Lebanese Army failed to stop them but is actively assisting them.

In addition to the bases at strategic areas in southern Lebanon, the IDF established a number of new bases on the Israeli side of the border, one to protect each Israeli border yishuv, and increased the number of forces on the border to triple the number before the war.

A senior source from the IDF’s Northern Command reported that over the past two months, the IDF destroyed all houses in southern Lebanon, groves, and tunnels as well as weaponry to ensure there are no active threats along the border.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated on Tuesday morning that “according to the decision of the political echelon, starting today the IDF will remain in the buffer zone in Lebanon in five strategic positions to ensure the protection of all Israeli yishuvim and deter any threats from Lebanon. In addition, IDF forces have been increased along the border and many positions were established.”

“At the same time, the IDF will continue to forcefully enforce any violation by Hezbollah. Hezbollah must fully withdraw beyond the Litani line, and the Lebanese Army must enforce and disarm it under the supervision of the mechanism established under U.S. leadership. We are determined to provide full security to all northern yishuvim in accordance with the principle established after October 7 – that only the IDF will ensure the security of yishuvim in all sectors against any possible threat.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)