Israel Seeks Troop Reduction in Lebanon Amid Fears Trump May Order Withdrawal

Israeli officials said Wednesday night they fear US President Donald Trump could order the immediate withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanon. In response, Jerusalem is advancing a plan to reduce troop levels while keeping the army in strategically important positions on the ground.

Trump addressed Lebanon after the G7 summit in France, saying he supports Israel’s right to defend itself, but said it must do so with restraint. He also criticized the IDF’s method of operating in Lebanon and said he had conveyed his view to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump quoted himself telling Netanyahu, "Netanyahu gets excited sometimes. We have a disagreement about Lebanon, I told him not to bring down a building every time."

Meanwhile, five fighters were wounded on Wednesday morning by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. One was seriously wounded, two were moderately wounded and two sustained light injuries. An initial inquiry found that minutes after the first strike, as forces on the ground prepared to evacuate the wounded, Hezbollah launched another explosive drone that detonated on the evacuation vehicle.

The report also recalled that on Sunday, before the agreement between the United States and Iran, two IDF soldiers were moderately and lightly wounded by Hezbollah rockets fired at forces in southern Lebanon. Last Thursday, a female soldier was moderately wounded by an explosive drone in southern Lebanon, just hours after an officer was reported seriously wounded by an improvised explosive device during an operation in Jenin in northern Samaria, while a reservist was lightly wounded.