Israel will not withdraw troops from Lebanon by deadline, Netanyahu says

PM says Lebanon has not fully met conditions for Israeli withdrawal under ceasefire deal

Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israeli troops will not comply with a Sunday deadline for them to withdraw from southern Lebanon, throwing the ceasefire with Hezbollah into crisis.

Confirming that Israel would not meet the 26 January deadline, the prime minister's office said in a statement: The IDF's withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani [River]."