The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 24th, 2025: Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Faces Major Test & Syria's Islamist Rulers Issue Warning To Jerusalem
Fri, 24 Jan 2025
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, tensions are once again flaring with Hezbollah, as Israeli leaders say they will not withdraw their troops from Lebanon by Sunday’s ceasefire deadline, throwing the future of the peace deal into question. Then, turning to Israel’s northeast, leaders in Jerusalem are signaling they intend to maintain their troop presence in a demilitarized buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, sparking concerns about a potential confrontation. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are the latest tensions between Israel and Hezbollah?
It's Friday, 24 January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, tensions are once again flaring with Hezbollah as Israeli leaders say they will not withdraw their troops from Lebanon by Sunday's ceasefire deadline, throwing the future of the peace deal into question.
Then, turning to Israel's northeast, leaders in Jerusalem are signaling that they intend to maintain their troop presence in a demilitarized buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, sparking concerns about a potential confrontation. But first, our afternoon spotlight.
While Israel and Hamas have begun implementing the terms of their historic ceasefire in Gaza, it appears that Jerusalem's fragile truce with Hezbollah in Lebanon is at risk of collapse.
Chapter 2: What is the status of the ceasefire agreement?
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Friday that the Israeli military would not complete its full withdrawal from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline set under their ceasefire with leaders in Beirut, citing a failure by Hezbollah and the Lebanese military to adhere to the terms of the agreement. That's according to a report from the Times of Israel.
Specifically, Israel says the Lebanese army has deployed too slowly to a buffer zone along their border with Israel, and that Hezbollah is still operating in areas covered by the truce.
Officials with the Israeli military have said they are still finding large caches of Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon, and that in some locations, the Lebanese military has even been seen aiding the Iranian-backed terror group. Well, that's shocking.
Netanyahu's office released a statement Friday saying, "...the IDF withdrawal is conditional upon the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon. Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by Lebanon, the gradual withdrawal process will continue." As a reminder, Israel reached a limited truce with Hezbollah on November 27th to stop hostilities for at least 60 days.
The deal requires the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to retreat north beyond the Latani River in southern Lebanon. In theory, by this Sunday, January 26th, the only groups allowed to be present south of the Latani River are the Lebanese military and UN peacekeeping forces.
But Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement and have engaged in a number of tit-for-tat strikes since the ceasefire was implemented.
Netanyahu argued on Friday that a continued Israeli troop presence and slower withdrawal does not constitute a violation of the ceasefire, noting that the deal's text was worded with the understanding that the withdrawal process could be extended. Following a request from the Israeli Security Cabinet, U.S.
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Chapter 3: How is the Israeli military preparing for potential conflict?
and French officials met Thursday to discuss an official 30-day extension of the ceasefire deal. But sources told the Times of Israel that President Trump is not keen on granting the request and would like to see Israel complete their withdrawal by Sunday.
Just last week, officials with Trump's team reportedly warned Israel not to let their truce with Hezbollah fail, fearing that it could throw the entire region, of course, back into chaos. Hezbollah, meanwhile, has said if Israeli troops remain by Sunday, it would be, quote, considered a brazen breach of the agreement, end quote.
Chapter 4: What actions is Israel taking in response to Hezbollah's threats?
Now, given their warning, the Israeli military is now reportedly preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah. Just hours after Netanyahu's statement, the Israeli military revealed they had carried out targeted strikes in southern Lebanon to, quote, remove threats. They also conducted limited ground operations earlier this week to demolish Hezbollah weapons depots.
The Israeli military issued a statement saying, quote, the IDF remains deployed in southern Lebanon, continues to monitor Hezbollah's attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to IDF troops and the state of Israel, end quote.
Coming up, Israel has signaled that they intend to maintain their troop presence in a demilitarized buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, prompting condemnations and threats of action from Syria's new leadership. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk about your online security.
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Chapter 5: What concerns are there regarding Syria's Islamist rulers?
Officials with the Israeli military confirmed the activity to the BBC, saying, quote, Our forces are operating in southern Syria, within the buffer zone and at strategic points to protect the residents of northern Israel, end quote. But their ongoing operations, as you might imagine, are not sitting well with HTS, that's the rebel group now leading Syria.
Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Shara, condemned Israel's advances on their territory in a statement on Thursday, calling it unacceptable and suggesting that his government will take action if it continues. He said, quote, We do not want war with Israel or any country. We told Israel to stop, and if it continues, we will apply pressure. There is no excuse for occupation, end quote.
As we've previously covered here on the PDB, in the immediate aftermath of Assad's downfall, Israel moved to seize the demilitarized zone and capture several strategic positions on the Syrian side of the border, including the Syrian peak of Mount Hermon. Israel said this was done as a precaution to guard against attacks by radical groups.
The moves sparked immediate international condemnation and controversy, with HTS and the UN accusing Israel of violating a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria that established the demilitarized zone following the Yom Kippur War.
But Israeli leaders have countered that they consider the agreement void until order is fully restored in Syria and discussions are held with HTS to come to a new understanding. Until that happens, Israel feels that their northern border with Syria remains vulnerable to potential terrorist attacks and they'll do what they must to address any security concerns.
And that, my friends, is the BDB Afternoon Bulletin for Friday, 24 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And, of course, remember to set your alarms for 10 p.m. this evening. A new episode of our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report, hits the airwaves on The First TV.
This week, our guests include Mark Krikorian from the Center for Immigration Studies and the Heritage Foundation's Steve Yates. We look at the first few days of the new Trump administration and developments in immigration policies, foreign policy, and national security. Now, as news and information shows go, well, this one's a real barn burner.
Also available on our YouTube channel, you can find that at President's Daily Brief, and of course, all podcast platforms in podcast land. Tune in and learn stuff. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over the weekend with a PDB Situation Report. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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