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Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied Thursday that the Israeli military had withdrawn from any part of occupied southern Lebanon, directly contradicting a U.S. State Department official who said Israel had pulled back some troops as a "good faith gesture" toward Lebanon's government.
According to Israel's Channel 13, Israeli political and military officials claimed that reports in the international press of an Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon, paired with claims that the Lebanese army would be deployed to those areas, did not reflect reality.
A U.S. State Department official told Reuters that the pullback was tied to a "pilot zone" proposal under discussion in the latest round of Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington, aimed at ensuring the complete and verifiable destruction of Hezbollah's weapons and infrastructure and the dismantlement of non-state armed groups.
"Israel has already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone. This is a significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon's legitimate government," the official said.
"The (Lebanese Armed Forces) should now move in and verifiably clear out terrorist weapons and infrastructure," the official added.
"This model will be repeated across South Lebanon, enabling the safe return of displaced families, reconstruction of the south, and the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty," the official noted.
A senior Israeli defense official told Reuters that Israel's policy was clear and that the military would not be withdrawing from its so-called buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Channel 12 reported that senior Israeli officials echoed this position, insisting no withdrawal or redeployment of Lebanese forces had taken place.
Channel 13, however, offered a more nuanced account, reporting that the Israeli military was preparing for a partial withdrawal from southern Lebanon and planned to complete a pullback from certain areas in the coming days as part of the Washington talks.
According to Channel 13, a senior Israeli official said Israel had "seized territory in recent days for negotiating purposes, to withdraw from it," describing the move as a withdrawal "from a small area in southern Lebanon, a few percent of the territory."
The official added, "We need to let the Americans try their pilot."
Channel 13 also reported that a senior Israeli army officer said no withdrawal had taken place so far.
Asked about the State Department official's comments, a senior Lebanese military official told Reuters that developments on the ground in recent days "show the opposite of a pullback."
The official said Israeli forces had been enforcing their buffer zone against anyone approaching it, including Lebanese army troops.
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