Beirut: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday voiced concerns over whether Israel would completely withdraw from southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
“We fear that the complete withdrawal may not be achieved tomorrow, and Lebanon’s response will come through a unified national stance,” he said.
“War is not a viable option,” Aoun affirmed in a statement released by Lebanon’s Presidency, adding that diplomatic channels will be prioritised since Lebanon cannot endure another conflict. He also confirmed that the Lebanese army is ready to deploy in villages and towns vacated by Israeli forces.
Also on Monday, the Lebanese President met with the five-member committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire agreement, Xinhua news agency reported. The committee confirmed its ongoing diplomatic efforts to finalize the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as soon as possible.
Israeli forces are scheduled to pull out from southern Lebanon by February 18 after an already extended deadline but expressed intention to maintain positions at five key strategic locations in the area, which was roundly rejected by the Lebanese government.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the possibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing post-war Gaza.
In a response to media reports that Hamas had expressed willingness to relinquish control of the enclave to the PA, Netanyahu said in a statement: “As I promised — the day after the war in Gaza, there will be no Hamas and no Palestinian Authority.”
He reiterated his support for US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, which includes the transfer of the enclave’s Palestinian population to neighbouring countries. Arab leaders have rejected the proposal.
“I am committed to President Trump’s plan for creating a different Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
Israel objects to Palestinian sovereignty in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, territories it seized in the 1967 Middle East war.
(IANS)
