Israel must withdraw from south by Jan 26 deadline: Lebanon president

BEIRUT, Jan 18: 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-Hezbollah ceasefire agreed last year.

His remarks follow a speech by Hezbollah 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". �AFP