Israel to consider withdrawing from Lebanon if Hezbollah is disarmed

Israel could withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon if Hezbollah is disarmed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday.

In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office hailed a decision made by the Lebanese government earlier this month to bring weapons under state control by the end of 2025.

The step, the office said, was "a momentous decision" and offered Lebanon "a crucial opportunity to reclaim its sovereignty and restore the authority of its state institutions," Xinhua News Agency reported.

The office added that if the Lebanese army implements the disarmament process, Israel will consider taking "reciprocal measures," including a phased reduction of its military presence in the south, coordinated with a US-led security mechanism.

"Now is the time for both Israel and Lebanon to move forward in a spirit of cooperation, focusing on the shared objective of disarming Hezbollah and promoting stability and prosperity for both nations," the statement said.

The statement came a day after US envoy Tom Barrack, who has been urging Beirut to move forward with Hezbollah's disarmament, met Netanyahu in Israel.

However, Hezbollah leaders had refused to relinquish their weapons and criticised Lebanese leaders for prioritizing political survival over national defence, stating that they should "remove Israel first" before debating the group's arms.

Additionally, Israeli drone strikes continued in Lebanon on Monday. The country's Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that "the Israeli enemy's drone strike targeted a Rapid-type vehicle on the Ain al-Mazrab-Tebnine road in Bint Jbeil district, resulting in one killed."

A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that the person killed in the Israeli drone strike was a Hezbollah member.

Since November 27, 2024, a US- and French-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has formally been in effect, aiming to end more than a year of cross-border clashes. The agreement stipulated Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but the Israeli army has maintained several posts along the border and continues to launch attacks, citing "threats" from Hezbollah.

Picture Courtesy: IANS