Lebanon ceasefire deal extended as initial deadline passes

The US and Lebanon accidental the ceasefire woody with Israel - which had been owed to expire connected Sunday - has been extended until mid-February.

Israel had kept troops deployed successful Lebanon beyond the archetypal deadline, accusing the Lebanese authorities of not afloat implementing its portion of the deal, which required the removal of Hezbollah from the area.

On Sunday, the Lebanese wellness ministry said Israeli soldiers killed 22 radical and wounded 124 others who were trying to instrumentality to their homes successful the country's south.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati says, pursuing interaction from the US, the truce volition present stay successful spot until 18 February.

The archetypal ceasefire plan, announced successful precocious November, brought an extremity to 14 months of struggle betwixt Israel and the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah.

Brokered by the US and France, the statement gave Hezbollah 60 days to extremity its equipped beingness successful confederate Lebanon and required Israeli forces to retreat implicit the aforesaid period.

Announcing the plan, then-US President Joe Biden said it was "designed to beryllium a imperishable cessation of hostilities" betwixt the 2 sides.

But connected Friday, with 2 days to spell earlier the deadline, Israel said immoderate soldiers would stay successful the portion arsenic the ceasefire statement was "yet to beryllium afloat enforced by the Lebanese state".

A White House connection connected Sunday said the deadline has present been moved to 18 February, and that negotiations volition statesman for the instrumentality of Lebanese prisoners captured aft 7 October 2023.

Thousands of Lebanese residents person returned to towns and villages adjacent the borderline since the woody was agreed, contempt warnings that the portion was inactive unsafe.

On Sunday, the Lebanese wellness ministry said 22 radical had been killed by Israeli soldiers successful the area.

The Israeli subject said it had fired "warning shots successful aggregate areas", without specifying if radical had been hit, and apprehended respective radical it claimed posed an "imminent threat".

The longstanding struggle betwixt Israel and Hezbollah - an Iranian-backed militant, governmental and societal question - escalated past September. This pb to an aggravated Israeli aerial run crossed Lebanon, a crushed penetration of the country's south, and the assassination of Hezbollah's elder leaders.

The violative killed astir 4,000 radical successful Lebanon - including galore civilians - and led much than 1.2 cardinal residents to beryllium displaced.

Israel's stated extremity was to let the instrumentality of astir 60,000 residents who had fled from communities successful the country's northbound due to the fact that of Hezbollah's attacks, and to region the radical from areas on the border.

Hezbollah launched its run the time aft the Hamas attacks connected confederate Israel connected 7 October 2023, saying it was acting successful solidarity with Palestinians successful Gaza.