Lebanese Report: Israel Issues Ultimatum to Hezbollah for Withdrawal Deal by March 15

By Yoni Weiss

According to a Lebanese newspaper associated with the Hezbollah terror group, Israel has set a deadline of March 15 for a diplomatic agreement aimed at pushing the Iran-backed group’s forces out of southern Lebanon. If no deal is reached by this date, Israel reportedly threatens to escalate the ongoing border skirmishes into a full-scale war.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conveyed to U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein that Hezbollah’s persistent attacks on Israel are pushing the country closer to a decision on military action in Lebanon.

The Lebanese paper, Al-Akhbar, cites Western officials who claim that Hochstein believes a resolution to the fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border is unlikely before a truce deal is achieved in Gaza. Additionally, the report suggests that Americans believe a diplomatic settlement between Beirut and Yerushalayim should address border disputes, particularly in the Mount Dov area, referred to as the Shebaa farms in Lebanon, and involve the deployment of the Lebanese army in the southern region.