White House: Extension of Ceasefire in Southern Lebanon Critically Necessary

Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, emphasized the critical need for extending the ceasefire in southern Lebanon. He expressed satisfaction with the Israeli military's commencement of withdrawal from central areas of the country.

According to Alhurra TV on Saturday, Hughes mentioned that all parties share the goal of ensuring that Hezbollah is unable to threaten the Lebanese people or its neighbors. He added that achieving this objective, although short-term and temporary, is urgently necessary.

It's noteworthy that a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel was announced on November 26 last year, with the ceasefire taking effect at dawn the following day. Despite the agreement, there have been daily breaches by Israel since its inception.

The agreement stipulates the deployment of the Lebanese army and Lebanese security forces in southern Lebanon, with Israel gradually withdrawing its forces towards the Blue Line border with Israel over a period of up to 60 days.