Israeli Forces Remain in Southern Lebanon After Ceasefire Renewal

Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon after governments in Israel and Lebanon renewed an April ceasefire in Washington last week. The new agreement has shown no signs of taking hold, with both sides exchanging fire in recent days. The Israeli military has lost nearly 30 soldiers and holds territory roughly 15 miles inside Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet this week that troops are striking Hezbollah "very forcefully" to stop rocket fire on northern Israel.

Barak's 2000 Withdrawal Ehud Barak, who served as prime minister in 2000, ordered the pullout of Israeli forces from Lebanon after an 18-year occupation. In an interview with NPR, the 84-year-old said the decision should have come 15 years earlier. "For me, it was a stretched-out tragedy that had no explanation in a rational way as to why we were there," Barak said at his Tel Aviv home.

Barak argued that Israel cannot defeat Hezbollah without conquering all of Lebanon, which he called impractical. He said any military operation should be linked to a political process involving the Lebanese government.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the renewed ceasefire "absurd, humiliating and insulting" because it requires the group to halt attacks and withdraw from southern Lebanon. The group was not part of the Washington talks. The fighting in Lebanon is tied to wider regional conflict.

Iran said Israeli operations in Lebanon prompted its ballistic missile strikes on Israel on Sunday and Monday, and Israel responded with airstrikes on Iran. President Trump has urged Netanyahu to scale back attacks in Lebanon to help reach a deal with Iran.

Israeli and Lebanese delegations are scheduled to continue talks, though no timeline for a full withdrawal has been announced.