Trump said opposed, but Israeli envoy says approval likely; as 60-day deadline looms, IDF still finding arms caches, Lebanese army not deploying to replace terror group as agreed

Israel's delay in implementing a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah is causing tensions. Despite positive movements by the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers, Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon is not progressing quickly enough.

As a Sunday deadline approaches for withdrawing Israeli military forces from Lebanon, experts and residents of the north told The Press Service of Israel that Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire leave them skeptical.

Israeli officials have said Lebanese troops are not deploying fast enough in the areas Israeli troops are supposed to vacate.

The sudden expansion of Israeli security operations in the West Bank has killed at least 10 people and follows the start of the delicate ceasefire process in Gaza, by which Israeli hostages are released in stages and will also see the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The escalation of Hezbollah-Israel war in late 2024, which led to widespread destruction and large displacement, has left 30% of Lebanon's population facing acute food insecurity,

Israel and the Lebanese militant group agreed in November to an American- and French-mediated ceasefire, ending more than a year of fighting

Separately, a Channel 13 News report claimed that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asked the U.S. to green-light a plan that would leave several IDF outposts in Southern Lebanon after the deadline for the withdrawal.

Marco Rubio spoke to Netanyahu from Washington on Wednesday night to "underscore that maintaining the United States' steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for President Trump," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

Thanks to the Israeli Consulate and other groups, a team of firefighting experts from Israel flew in last week and immediately joined local forces.

Ekhtiar, who interviewed Israel's Arabic-language military spokesman last year as the Gaza war raged, has divided Lebanese political opinion.