The Israeli military said Thursday that the issue of a withdrawal from Lebanon, in one form or another, will be discussed with the Lebanese side next week during talks in the United States. The statement follows a series of conflicting signals from U.S. and Israeli officials on the timeline and scope of any pullout.
The IDF confirmed on Thursday that the question of an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon will be part of the agenda in talks with the Lebanese side next week in Washington. The military's brief statement, in Hebrew, said the matter would be discussed "in one form or another" with the Lebanese side — a notably open-ended formulation that leaves the scope and timing of any pullout unresolved.
This is the latest development in a thread The Zioneer has tracked all week. At Wednesday 18:15, The Zioneer first reported that talks between Israel and Lebanon would take place Tuesday through Thursday of next week. A few minutes earlier that evening, The Zioneer also reported that the IDF had stated potential withdrawal was still under discussion in direct Israel-Lebanon talks expected to reconvene next week, and that forces would hold their positions for now, while also confirming withdrawal talks in Washington and warning civilians to stay away. A day earlier, at Tuesday 17:00, a single-source report indicated President Donald Trump was pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to complete a withdrawal by Friday — a timeline that appears inconsistent with the IDF's more measured framing. Over the weekend, and on Monday, U.S. and Lebanese sources gave conflicting assessments: the White House said withdrawal was not part of an emerging deal (Monday 19:31); a Lebanese source told Al-Mayadeen the fifth round of negotiations would begin June 22 (Saturday 03:29); and reports suggested the U.S. was trying to arrange a Lebanese army return south of the Litani alongside an Israeli pullout (Saturday 00:05).
The IDF's latest statement does not confirm a specific date, does not address the reported U.S. pressure for a Friday withdrawal, and does not say whether a full pullout or a partial redeployment is under discussion. The talks next week will be the first direct test of whether the conflicting signals can be reconciled into a concrete plan.
5 developments
- DevelopingReport: Fifth round of Lebanon-Israel border talks to open in Washington on June 22
- DevelopingSenior US official: Israel won't be asked to leave Lebanon until final Iran-Lebanon deal — at least 60 days
- StrongIsrael 'negotiating tenaciously' with US to keep forces in southern Lebanon, official says
- StrongIran claims US deal includes full IDF withdrawal from Lebanon; Israel flatly denies
Source and signal
- Internal intake