Lebanon president says Israel must withdraw from south by January 26 deadline

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon's new president said on Saturday that Israel must withdraw from his country's south by the January 26 deadline set to fully implement an Israel-Hizbollabh ceasefire agreed last year.

His remarks follow a speech by Hizbollabh leader Naim Qassem who accused Israel of hundreds of ceasefire violations, warning it against testing "our patience" and calling on the Lebanese state to be "firm" in its response.

President Joseph Aoun told visiting United Nations chief Antonio Guterres that it was necessary for "Israeli forces to withdraw from occupied territories in the south within the deadline set by the agreement reached on November 27".

"Israel's continued violations on land and in the air... blowing up homes and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement," a statement from Aoun's office added.

Under the November 27 ceasefire deal, which ended two months of all-out war between Israel and Hizbollabh, the Lebanese army has 60 days to deploy alongside peacekeepers from the UNIFIL mission in south Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws.

At the same time, Hizbollabh is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometres from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the south.

'Occupation' 

Earlier on Saturday, Qassem had called "on the Lebanese state to be firm in confronting violations, now numbering more than hundreds. This cannot continue".

"We have been patient with the violations to give a chance to the Lebanese state responsible for this agreement, along with the international sponsors, but I call on you not to test our patience," he said in a televised speech.

Qassem's speech came as Guterres met top Lebanese officials including prime minister-designate Nawaf Salam and Aoun -- the former army chief who has vowed that the state would have "a monopoly" on bearing weapons.

Analysts say Hizbollabh's weakening in the war with Israel allowed Lebanon's deeply divided political class to elect Aoun and to back him in naming Salam, who was presiding judge at the International Criminal Court, as prime minister.

But Qassem insisted Hizbollabh and ally Amal's backing "is what led to the election of the president by consensus", after around two years of deadlock.

"No one can exploit the results of the aggression in domestic politics," he warned. "No one can exclude us from effective and influential political participation in the country."

After his meeting with Aoun on Saturday, Guterres expressed hope that Lebanon could open "a new chapter of peace". 

On Friday, Guterres had called for Israel to end its military operations and "occupation" in the south.

He also said UN peacekeepers had found more than 100 weapons caches belonging "to Hizbollabh or other armed groups".

French President Emmanuel Macron was also in Lebanon on Friday and said there must be "accelerated" implementation of the Israel-Hizbollabh ceasefire.