The Lebanese army confirmed on Saturday its readiness to deploy in the border areas in the south of the country, and held Israel responsible for "delaying" the withdrawal under the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

He stressed in a statement that his units continue to "implement the plan for operations to enhance deployment in the area south of the Litani River, upon assignment from the Council of Ministers, since the first day of the ceasefire agreement entering into force, according to successive and specific stages, in coordination with the five-member committee to supervise the implementation of the agreement (Mechanism) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon - UNIFIL."

He added, "There was a delay in a number of stages as a result of the procrastination in the withdrawal on the part of the Israeli enemy, which complicates the task of the army's deployment, noting that it maintains readiness to complete its deployment immediately after the Israeli enemy withdraws."

Israel announced on Friday that the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon "will continue" after the expiry of the sixty-day period stipulated in the agreement that began to be implemented at dawn on November 27, considering that Lebanon did not fully respect its obligations.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that "the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon stipulates that the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces must be implemented within 60 days, and the section was formulated in this way with the understanding that the withdrawal process may take more than 60 days."

He added that "the Israeli army's withdrawal is conditional on the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, and its full and effective implementation of the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani."

It is noteworthy that, according to the agreement, Israel must withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon within 60 days, i.e. by January 26, and this must be accompanied by strengthening the deployment of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL.

Hezbollah must also withdraw its personnel and equipment and retreat to the north of the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

A five-member committee, including the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL, monitors compliance with its provisions and deals with violations reported by each party.

On the eve of the expiration of the Israeli withdrawal deadline, the Lebanese army called on "residents to wait before heading towards the southern border areas, due to the presence of mines and suspicious objects left behind by the Israeli enemy."

He stressed that his units are working "to complete the engineering survey, open roads, and deal with unexploded ordnance, and are closely monitoring the operational situation, especially with regard to the ongoing violations of the agreement and attacks on Lebanon's sovereignty, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure and the demolition and burning of homes in border villages by the Israeli enemy."