'Israel will withdraw its forces from all 5 positions in Lebanon if...': Netanyahu

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country’s military would withdraw from all five positions in southern Lebanon if Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, were completely disarmed.

On Monday, the Israeli prime minister said the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon and roll back air force strikes if Israel’s conditions are met.

Forces and weapons: The bone of contention

The withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon has been a sticking point in Hezbollah’s disarmament since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended in November 2024 with a US-brokered ceasefire. The group has maintained that it would not lay down arms completely unless Israel withdraws from five hills it controls inside Lebanon and stops daily airstrikes. Hundreds of Hezbollah members have been killed in Israeli strikes.

There was no immediate response by Lebanese authorities to Netanyahu’s statement.

Lebanon is under pressure from the US to disarm Hezbollah, which was engaged in a 14-month war with Israel. The conflict left the Lebanese armed group gravely weakened, with many of its political and military leaders killed in Israeli strikes.

Netanyahu’s announcement comes after a visit to Israel by US envoy Tom Barrack, who has been attempting to solidify the ceasefire and to push Lebanon to move ahead with disarmament of Hezbollah.

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During a visit to Lebanon last week, Barrack said the “Lebanese government has done their part” and “now what we need is for Israel to comply with that equal handshake”.

Peace for prosperity: What Lebanon needs right now

Lebanon needs international support to rebuild after last year’s war, which left large swathes of southern and eastern Lebanon in ruins and caused an estimated $11.1 billion in damages, according to the World Bank. International aid is likely to be contingent on Hezbollah disarming.

However, the Lebanese government must move cautiously to avoid an internal explosion of unrest. Naim Kassem, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, has vowed to fight efforts to disarm the group by force, sowing fears of civil conflict in the country.

Hezbollah’s leadership has vowed not to disarm, saying the national government’s decision to remove the Iran-backed group’s weapons by the end of the year serves Israel’s interests.

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Israel has its own concerns if Hezbollah stays armed

Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its military capabilities, and its military has said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis were displaced during the war.

Since the war ended, Hezbollah has withdrawn most of its fighters and weapons from the area along the border with Israel south of the Litani river.

The ceasefire agreement is vague on how Hezbollah’s weapons and military facilities north of the Litani river should be treated, saying Lebanese authorities should dismantle unauthorized facilities starting with the area south of the river.

Hezbollah maintains that the deal only covers the area south of the Litani, while Israel and the US say it mandates disarmament of the group throughout Lebanon.

A low-level conflict between Israel and Hezbollah started a day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack against Israel from Gaza, when Hezbollah began launching rockets across the border in support of its Palestinian ally. The conflict escalated into war in September 2024 and left more than 4,000 people dead.

(With inputs from Associated Press)