BEIRUT — Israel said Monday that its troops would remain in southern Lebanon past a Tuesday deadline for their full withdrawal as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal that halted 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said it would stay in what it called “five strategic points” in southern Lebanon and withdraw the rest of its forces. There was no immediate response from Beirut, but Lebanese officials have previously rejected any further delay in the Israeli withdrawal.

“We will leave small amounts of troops deployed temporarily in five strategic points along the border in Lebanon so we can continue to defend our residents and to make sure there’s no immediate threat,” Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani told reporters. “This is a temporary measure until the Lebanese Armed Forces are able to fully implement” the ceasefire.

The ceasefire agreed to in late November called for Israel to fully withdraw its troops occupying southern Lebanon by Jan. 26. A new withdrawal deadline was set for Feb. 18 after an extension was agreed on.

The United States informed Lebanon last week that Israel had requested to stay in the five positions. Hezbollah said the Lebanese government needed to ensure the withdrawal occurred on time but did not suggest it would return to fighting if Israel failed to leave.

Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, in a meeting early Monday with ambassadors from the United States, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, urged the diplomats to push Israel toward a full withdrawal, according to a readout of the meeting from the president’s office.

Here’s what else to know

• Marco Rubio traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday, a key test in his first tour of the Middle East as secretary of state. President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to displace all Palestinians from Gaza was met with a swift backlash from Arab leaders and has complicated efforts to secure diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz held a discussion Monday on the “voluntary departure” of Gaza residents, and established a directorate within his ministry to oversee the process, his spokesman said. The plan includes “extensive assistance to enable any Gaza resident who wishes to emigrate voluntarily to a third country to receive a support package” with “special departure arrangements” by land, sea and air.
• In a joint news conference with Rubio in Jerusalem on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the United States and Israel have a “common strategy.” He also warned that the “gates of hell would be opened” if Hamas does not release all of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza under the fragile ceasefire deal.
• On Monday, Netanyahu met in Tel Aviv with a bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation led by Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). The group included Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Adam Schiff (D-California) and others. They also met with hostage families, about whom Blumenthal said, “We must match their brave resolve — demanding full immediate release.”
• Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with a U.S. congressional delegation Sunday. Trump has threatened to withhold aid to Egypt and Jordan if they don’t agree to take in Palestinians under his Gaza plan. Rubio does not intend to visit either nation on his tour. Arab leaders are set to meet in Cairo on Feb. 27 to produce a counterproposal that would allow Palestinians to stay on their land.

Source: Washingtonpost.com