Report: Israeli Defence Minister warns Hezbollah ceasefire in danger

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned that the ceasefire with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia is in danger, according to a report by the Times of Israel.

Israel will be “forced to act” if Hezbollah fighters do not withdraw from southern Lebanon as mandated by the ceasefire agreement, Katz told the newspaper on Sunday.

Katz reportedly emphasized that Israel is interested in maintaining the ceasefire.

But, he said, this was conditional on the Hezbollah militants withdrawing behind the Litani River, around 30 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, and on the Lebanese Army dismantling all weapons and terrorist infrastructure in the border area.

This has not yet happened, Katz warned.

The ceasefire has been in effect since the end of November and is set to initially last for about two months, until the end of January.

During this time, in addition to the Hezbollah withdrawal, the Israeli Army is due to leave Lebanon and the Lebanese Army is to strengthen its presence in the border area.