Barak Ravid (N12) reports a senior Israeli official stating that the IDF will carry out the withdrawal from the pilot zones in southern Lebanon tomorrow. The US earlier Monday confirmed that the pullout had already begun.
A senior Israeli official told Barak Ravid (N12) at 16:19 Jerusalem today that the IDF will complete the withdrawal from the pilot zones in southern Lebanon tomorrow, Tuesday. The statement sets a specific timeline for the pullout, following the United States' confirmation earlier Monday that the withdrawal process was already underway. The Lebanese Armed Forces have deployed in the first designated pilot area, as previously reported.
In a series of reports at 16:19 Jerusalem, the thread began with a Channel 14 account that the Lebanese army would deploy in areas cleared by the IDF. An Israeli source then described two pilot zones and noted that the IDF had redeployed from one of them. The US followed with a confirmation of the Lebanese army deployment to pilot zones, and later stated that the IDF withdrawal from those zones had begun. The latest report from the Israeli official gives a specific date for the completion of that withdrawal. The corroboration has evolved from a single Israeli source to include official US confirmation.
As The Zioneer reported on July 17, the Lebanese Armed Forces had already deployed in the first designated pilot area north of the security zone, and the US was expected to announce the pilot's official start on Sunday, ahead of President Joseph Aoun's visit to Washington. On July 5, The Zioneer reported that the Prime Minister convened a security discussion to approve the southern Lebanon withdrawals.
The specific locations and scope of the pilot zones remain undisclosed. The Israeli official's statement is based on a single source, and the timeline for the handover of the second pilot area has not been specified.
7 developments
- StrongLebanese army evacuates civilians from border villages, citing no Israeli withdrawal
- StrongLebanese army calls on residents to slow return to southern border towns, citing Israeli aerial surveillance
- DevelopingLebanese army begins patrols, checkpoints in five villages near Israeli-controlled border
- StrongLebanese PM says IDF will withdraw from Zoutar and additional villages within days
Source and signal
- Internal intake