Trump administration wants more time for Israel to pull troops out of Lebanon

The Trump administration said it wants to give Israel a little more time to pull its troops out of Lebanon, just two days before a withdrawal deadline under a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.

“A short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed” in Lebanon, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement Friday. Israel was supposed to withdraw all its forces from southern Lebanon by Sunday. The 60-day ceasefire deal in late November halted the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Friday that Israeli forces might still be in Lebanon when the deadline comes. He said the Lebanese government hasn’t yet “fully enforced” the agreement, an apparent reference to the deployment of Lebanese Army troops to prevent Hezbollah returning to the border area.

The Lebanese government has said that it can’t deploy its force until Israeli troops pull out. Hezbollah has warned that it could resume fighting if Israel doesn’t withdraw.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel, while also supporting President Aoun and the new Lebanese government. All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors,” Hughes said.

He said the U.S. is “pleased that the IDF (Israeli army) has started the withdrawal from the central regions.”