White House Says Israel Pullout From Lebanon ‘On Track,’ But Netanyahu Seeks Extension

On January 12, it was “guaranteed” by a US envoy that Israel would withdraw from Lebanon by the January 26 deadline. Israel reiterated their “commitment” to this deal on January 22, though about 24 hours later, they were said to be seeking an extension, and by January 24, it was confirmed: Israel wasn’t leaving and the US had agreed to an extension of the Israeli presence through February 18.

With that date fast approaching, we’re seeing some familiar storylines. It has been reported in the Israeli press that the White House is taking a “hardline” position that Israel will definitely leave by February 18.

This is built around spokesman Brian Hughes saying Israel’s pullout is “on the existing timeline,” and confirming that Israel has not yet formally requested any further extension of their presence beyond that date.

But… and there is always a but here, it is also being reported by Israel’s Channel 12 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested that President Trump support the further extension of Israel’s military presence inside southern Lebanon.

The pretext is effectively the same as it was in mid-January, with the idea that the Lebanese Army is not sufficiently prepared to take over the south, and that Hezbollah will return if the area isn’t occupied militarily by Israeli forces.

The early reports suggest that the Trump Administration is rejecting this and being firm on the second deadline. But it was also reported that President Trump was strongly opposed to Israel remaining in Lebanon beyond January 26, right up until the time he supported it, at which point the White House position became that they always wanted Israel to stay in Lebanon and actually requested this extension.

We can expect the next week to be filled with conflicting reports about the US position on the matter. At the end of the day though, the assurances are only as good as the US willingness to actually stick to them, and we saw how that went last time we approached a deadline.

For the displaced in Lebanon, the US assurances will likely only mean something after Israel has left and they’re allowed to return to what is left of their home villages.