A US State Department source told Reuters that Israel withdrew from part of the buffer zone it established in southern Lebanon as a goodwill gesture toward the Lebanese government, saying the Lebanese army should enter the vacated area. However, a Lebanese military source told Al Jazeera there was no observed withdrawal and that Israeli forces remain deployed in all areas they recently captured, while Israeli military sources said they received no order to withdraw.
A sharp dispute has emerged over the status of the IDF's presence in the buffer zone in southern Lebanon. A US State Department official told Reuters on Thursday that Israel withdrew from part of the zone as a goodwill gesture toward the Lebanese government, and that the Lebanese army should now enter the area. However, a Lebanese military source told Al Jazeera there was no observed withdrawal, stating that Israeli forces remain positioned in all recently captured areas. Israeli military sources, cited by Israeli media, said they received no order to withdraw from the buffer zone.
The conflicting reports follow a rapid sequence of denials throughout Thursday. At 12:04 Jerusalem, The Zioneer first reported an Israeli official saying no decision had been made on withdrawal. Minutes later, the IDF categorically denied a Reuters report, stating no forces had moved. Further versions showed Israeli and then Lebanese officials jointly denying any withdrawal. By 12:04, a US official claimed a partial withdrawal was underway despite the denials. The latest contradiction — a Lebanese military source reporting no observed withdrawal — deepens the gap between the US claim and ground-level accounts, with Israeli sources maintaining no directive has been given.
The Zioneer has tracked the withdrawal issue extensively. On June 15, Iranian sources claimed Israel was supposed to withdraw overnight as part of a US-Iran memorandum. On June 18, Iran demanded full withdrawal and Israel publicly rejected retreat. On June 22, Al-Akhbar reported the US was struggling to persuade Israel to fully withdraw. Earlier Thursday at 12:01 Jerusalem, a senior Israeli official described the withdrawal as a goodwill gesture toward Beirut.
The central question remains open: whether any withdrawal has actually occurred on the ground. The US official's claim has not been corroborated by Israeli or Lebanese sources on the ground, and no independent confirmation has emerged. The disparity between diplomatic statements and on-the-ground reports leaves the situation unresolved.
7 developments
- DevelopingSenior Israeli security official: IDF will not withdraw from southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIsraeli officials dismiss reports of IDF withdrawal from points in Lebanon
- DevelopingDefense Minister Katz: No US demand to withdraw from Lebanon
- StrongSenior official: Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon is a goodwill gesture toward Beirut
Source and signal
- Internal intake