DUBAI, January 28. /TASS/. Lebanon agreed to extend the presence of Israeli troops in its southern areas until February 18 in exchange for releasing prisoners from Hezbollah or other Lebanese nationals, the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper the National reported, citing sources.
Israeli troops were initially supposed to leave southern Lebanon at the end of January under the ceasefire deal that was concluded on November 27. According to the report, which cited sources in the Lebanese leadership, Israel demanded that Lebanon push that deadline back as Israeli troops didn’t have enough time to destroy Hezbollah military infrastructure in the area.
"Lebanon had no other choice but to give its consent," a source in a Lebanese special service told the newspaper.
One other reason why Israel sought to extend its military presence in Lebanon was the desire to see the reaction of Hezbollah and assess its potential future moves against Israel. The special service source said Hezbollah decided to return to the tactics of the 1980s and nudge Lebanese civilians to fight Israeli troops individually. As an example, he pointed to the events of last weekend, when groups of Lebanese people tried to come back to their homes in the country’s south. According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the civilians came under fire from the troops that were enforcing a ban on visiting areas bordering Israel. The ministry said 15 people were killed and 83 others suffered wounds.
A Hezbollah source told the National that the attempted return of the people to their homes was a "natural form of resistance," blaming the Lebanese government for their deaths.
The ceasefire of November 27 that was brokered by the US and France stipulated that the Lebanese armed forces would deploy along the entire southern border with the support of UN peacekeepers, while Hezbollah would pull back beyond the Litani River. Israel was given 60 days to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, where they conducted a ground operation. On January 27, the White House announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to leave Lebanese territory until February 18.