The United States has reportedly told Lebanese officials that Israel’s military intends to remain in five strategic points inside Lebanon, but will withdraw from towns it still occupies.

France has put together a proposal for United Nations peacekeepers, including French troops, replace Israeli forces at key points to ensure those forces leave Lebanon by a February 18 deadline, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday.

Israel is seeking another extension of the deadline for the withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon, a Western diplomatic source says, a request that is likely to raise new concerns in a country with a history of Israeli occupation.