Less than two days before the deadline, the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, announced that Israel’s withdrawal was dependent on the Lebanese Army asserting its full control over the area, adding that the timeline was flexible and implying that Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon beyond the cutoff. “Since the cease-fire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by Lebanon, the gradual withdrawal process will continue under full cooperation with the United States,” the statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said. Asked for clarification, the prime minister’s office declined to say if this meant that Israeli troops would definitely remain in Lebanon after the deadline.

Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon beyond a 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah because its terms have not been fully implemented, the Israeli prime minister's office said on Friday. Under the agreement, which took effect on Nov. 27, Hezbollah weapons and fighters must be removed from areas south of the Litani River and Israeli troops should withdraw as the Lebanese military deploys into the region, all within a 60-day time frame, meaning by Sunday at 4 a.m. (0200 GMT). The deal, brokered by the United States and France, ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. The fighting peaked with a major Israeli offensive that left Hezbollah severely weakened and displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon. In a statement, Netanyahu's office said the Israeli military's withdrawal process was "contingent on the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani".

Israeli forces will not be fully withdrawn from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline agreed upon under a cease-fire agreement with Hezbollah, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced. IDF’s withdrawal, Netanyahu said, “is conditional on the Lebanese Army deploying in Southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani,” The Times of Israel reported. Lebanon has “not yet fully enforced” its part of the bargain, the prime minister said, and, as a result, a gradual withdrawal process will continue “in full coordination with the United States.” The original 60-day deadline was slated for Sunday, Jan. 26 – but Israel has been pushing for a 30-day extension due to security concerns on its northern border and is preparing for renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, according to The Times of Israel.