Today's Edition
Beirut (Agencies)
Lebanon's new president said on Saturday that Israel must withdraw from his country's south by the January 26 deadline set to fully implement an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreed last year.
President Joseph Aoun told visiting United Nations chief Antonio Guterres that it was necessary for "Israeli forces to withdraw from occupied territories in the south within the deadline set by the agreement reached on November 27".
"Israel's continued violations on land and in the air... blowing up homes and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement," a statement from Aoun's office added.
Under the November 27 ceasefire deal, the Lebanese army has 60 days to deploy alongside peacekeepers from the UNIFIL mission in south Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws.
After his meeting with Aoun on Saturday, Guterres expressed hope that Lebanon could open "a new chapter of peace".
On Friday, Guterres had called for Israel to end its military operations and "occupation" in the south.
Guterres urged Israel to entirely withdraw from Lebanese territory by the deadline.
This came as he visited the Lebanese border town of Naqoura, home to the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was recently vacated by Israeli forces.
French President Emmanuel Macron was also in Lebanon on Friday and said there must be "accelerated" implementation of the ceasefire.
