Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline stipulated in the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, because its terms have not been fully implementedthe Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced on Friday.

According to the agreement, which entered into force on November 27Hezbollah weapons and fighters must be removed from areas south of the Litani River, and Israeli troops must withdraw as the Lebanese army deploys to the area, all within a 60-day time frame, meaning by Sunday at 4 a.m. . (02:00 GMT).

The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iranian-backed one Hezbollah. The fighting culminated in a major Israeli offensive that left Hezbollah severely weakened and displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon.

In a statement, his office Netanyahu reported that the withdrawal process of the Israeli army “depends on the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon and the full and effective implementation of the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond Litani.”

“Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully implemented by the Lebanese state, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.”

The statement did not say how long Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military says has seized Hezbollah weapons and dismantles infrastructure used by the Shiite armed group.

There was no immediate comment from Lebanon.

Hezbollah in conflict with Israel

A Hezbollah official, reached for comment, referred Reuters to a statement issued by the group on Thursday. He said any delay in the withdrawal would be an unacceptable violation of the agreement and put the onus on the Lebanese state to act. He said the state should deal with such a violation “through all the means and methods guaranteed by international charters.”

The Israeli military said in a statement that it remains deployed in southern Lebanon and that “continues to operate under ceasefire agreements between Israel and Lebanon.”

Israeli troops had carried out raids against weapons storage facilities and active Hezbollah observation posts in southern Lebanon in recent days, it said.

The White House said that “a short, temporary extension of the truce is urgently needed,” citing the president’s commitment Donald Trump both to ensure that Israeli citizens can return to their homes and to support the Lebanese government.

“We are pleased that the IDF has begun the withdrawal from the central areas and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension,” said the spokesman for the National Security Council Brian Hughes.

Israel said its campaign against Hezbollah was aimed at securing the return of tens of thousands of people forced from their homes in northern Israel by Hezbollah rockets.

During the conflict it dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and thousands of the group’s fighters and destroying much of its arsenal.

Hezbollah was further weakened in December when its Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assadwas ousted from power by rebels, cutting off its land supply route from Iran.