Aoun in contact with US, France over 'solution' for Israeli withdrawal
President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that he is continuing his contacts to compel Israel to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon by the February 18 deadline.
In a meeting with a delegation from Lebanon’s Press Syndicate, Aoun said he is communicating with influential countries, especially the United States and France, in order to reach the “appropriate solution.”
A top Israeli government official has told U.S. news outlet Bloomberg that Israel will hold onto five strategic high points just inside Lebanon after next Tuesday’s ceasefire deadline that requires it to withdraw all troops.
The Israeli army will redeploy but retain those five positions “until Lebanon implements its treaty obligations,” Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who’s one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, said in an interview.
Dermer also said that Lebanon’s obligations do not involve pushing Hezbollah away from the border but rather removing its arms.
Source: Naharnet
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