Qatar, Lebanon discuss ceasefire deal, Israeli withdrawal

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and his Lebanese counterpart, Nawaf Salam, yesterday discussed the ceasefire agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from southern Lebanon, and other regional issues, Anadolu Agency reported, citing a Qatari Foreign Ministry statement.

During the call, the officials also explored ways to strengthen cooperation between their countries and discussed means to enhance bilateral relations.

The statement added that “the two parties discussed the latest developments in Lebanon, particularly regarding the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.”

They also exchanged views on various regional and international issues of mutual concern.

For his part, Al Thani reaffirmed Qatar’s firm support for Lebanon’s unity and territorial integrity. He also expressed support for the new Lebanese government’s efforts in economic and developmental fields.

He stressed the importance of fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and ensuring the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from all Lebanese territories.

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On Thursday evening, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said: “The Americans informed me that the Israeli occupation will withdraw on the 18th of this month (next Tuesday) from the villages it still occupies in southern Lebanon. However, it will remain in five locations, and I informed them—on behalf of myself, President Joseph Aoun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam—of our absolute rejection of this.”

On Wednesday, for the second time, Israel backed out of its withdrawal deadline, announcing that it would remain in southern Lebanon beyond 18 February.

The Israeli occupation army was initially expected to complete its withdrawal from the areas it had occupied in southern Lebanon by 26 January, in line with the 60-day deadline set in the ceasefire agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, which came into effect on 27 November 2024.

However, Tel Aviv failed to meet the deadline, and Washington later announced that the withdrawal period had been extended until 18 February.

Despite this, the Israeli occupation army reneged on the agreement once again, announcing on Wednesday that it was “extending the implementation period of the agreement.”

Although the army did not announce a new date for the complete withdrawal, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Tel Aviv had asked the international monitoring committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement to extend its troops’ presence by ten more days, until 28 February—a request that Lebanon rejected.

Since the agreement took effect 82 days ago, Israel has violated it 923 times, resulting in 73 deaths and 265 injuries, according to official Lebanese data cited by Anadolu.

Millions of Lebanese have been homeless as a result of the Israeli aggression which has seen occupation forces blow up entire villages.

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