Israel has rejected France's proposal for United Nations peacekeepers, including French troops, to replace Israeli forces at key positions along the southern Lebanon border, The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday.

Instead, Israel has chosen to maintain its presence in these five crucial locations beyond the February 18 withdrawal deadline.

On Wednesday, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that the United States had authorized a "long-term" Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon. This follows earlier reports from Reuters that Israel had requested an extension to its February 18 deadline to pull back its forces.

Under the terms of a ceasefire deal brokered by Washington in November, Israeli forces were initially granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, where they had been engaged in a ground offensive against Hezbollah militants since early October. The agreement stipulated that Hezbollah fighters would vacate the area and that Lebanese troops would be deployed in their place within the same timeframe.

French officials had sought to broker an alternative arrangement to ensure Israeli forces would leave by the set deadline.

"We have worked to formulate a proposal that can satisfy the security expectations of Israel, which planned to stay longer at certain points on the Blue Line," French official Barrot told reporters following a conference on Syria in Paris.

The French plan, which was backed by the United Nations, proposed that UNIFIL peacekeepers—including French forces—would take over key observation points from Israeli troops.

"It is now up to us to convince the Israelis that this solution is likely to allow a complete and final withdrawal," Barrot added.

The initial withdrawal deadline had already been pushed back from January 26 to February 18. However, a Lebanese official and a foreign diplomat in Lebanon told Reuters on Wednesday that Israel had now requested to extend its presence in five posts in the south for an additional ten days.