The Prime Minister's office (PMO) announced Friday that the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon would be delayed. The military was supposed to complete its pullout of troops by Sunday, 60 days after the cease-fire agreement in the war with Hezbollah was signed.
"The agreement was articulated with the understanding that the process may take more than 60 days," the PMO said. "It is conditioned on the Lebanese army is deployed in South and effectively enforcing the terms of the deal, as Hezbollah withdraws its forces north of the Litani River.
According to the PMO, since that has not yet been fully enforced by Lebanon, Israel will continue a gradual l its commitments under the deal, and while Hezbollah forces would be pushed out of the region, north of the LItani River. Since that has not been fully enforced by Lebanon, the gradual withdrawal of troops would continue in full cooperation with the United states."
The cabinet decided on Thursday that it would react forcefully to Hezbollah's violation of the cease-fire agreement, but the ministers do not believe this would put the deal at risk. Although the Shi'ite terror group accused Israel of violations and speakers for the group warned that the war could resume, it only once used military force in response to the IDF's fire.
Leaders in the opposition also urged a delay in the IDF withdrawal, citing the danger to the residents of the north if the cease-fire terms are not fully implemented. "The IDF must continue and increase its actions in the face of even the slightest Hezbollah violation of the deal. We must insist that the resident of the north would never again be under threat," former defense minister Benny Gantz said.
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"During IDF operational activity in the Saluki area last week, 769th Brigade troops located several significant underground routes intended to be used by Hezbollah terrorist operatives. Combat engineering and Yahalom Unit soldiers investigated the routes before dismantling them," the IDF said in a statement on Friday. "The troops also located a weapons cache inside a mosque, a vehicle loaded with weapons, hundreds of mortar shells, explosives, rockets, weapons, and additional Hezbollah military equipment."
IDF troops locate Hezbollah arms in South Lebanon
(IDF)
The military said other forces located trucks carrying heavy rocket launchers, along with several weapons storage facilities containing a large number of rockets, shoulder-fired missiles, launchers, mortar shells, explosives, and military equipment. "All weapons were confiscated, and the weapons storage facilities were dismantled."