Lebanon in contact with Washington and Paris for total Israeli withdrawal

Beirut is in contact with Washington and Paris for Israel to completely withdraw from five positions in southern Lebanon, as the deadline for withdrawal from the area expired on Tuesday, according to a statement from the presidency.

"Lebanon is continuing diplomatic contacts with the United States and France for Israel to fully withdraw from territories still occupied during the last war" with Hezbollah, reports the statement from the Baabda Presidential Palace press office.

Following a meeting with the press syndicate, Lebanese president Joeseph Aoun said Lebanon plans to claim a total Israeli withdrawal. "Lebanon is unanimously choosing the diplomatic route because no one wants war," he said. "The state is now responsible for border security after regaining its decision-making power, and this decision belongs solely to the Lebanese."

The Lebanese presidency stated its intention to continue contact with the United States and France to urge Israel to "completely" withdraw.

Israel announced on Monday that it planned to "temporarily leave a limited number of soldiers deployed at five strategic points along the Lebanese border." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the maintenance of troops at these five control posts. The U.N. warned on Tuesday that any delay in the Israeli withdrawal would constitute a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the previous 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and is the basis of the current truce agreement.