Lebanon's new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal

Lebanon's new president Joseph Aoun stressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.

According to a statement by the Lebanese presidency on X, Aoun told Guterres during a meeting in Beirut that continued Israeli breaches were a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the agreed ceasefire deal.

The ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27 and was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.

Guterres said the U.N. would exert utmost efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal within the set deadline under the ceasefire terms, according to the statement.

He had said on Friday the Israeli military's continued occupation of territory in south Lebanon and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory were violations of a U.N. resolution upon which the ceasefire is based.

Despite the deal, Israeli forces have continued strikes on what they say are Hezbollah fighters ignoring the accord under which they must halt attacks and withdraw beyond the Litani River, about 30 km (18 miles) from the border with Israel.