U.S. Official Says Israel Has Begun Pulling Back in Parts of South Lebanon

An official in the U.S. State Department confirmed on Thursday that IDF forces have begun withdrawing from parts of the buffer zone in southern Lebanon, describing the move as a “goodwill gesture” toward the Lebanese government. The Lebanese army will now move into the areas vacated by the IDF.

The withdrawal is expected to be completed in the coming days and is part of understandings reached in the Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington. The arrangement is tied to a U.S. plan in which the American military will train the Lebanese army, both to strengthen it and to ensure that those present in the area are truly Lebanese army personnel and not Hezbollah members.

Some of the areas from which the IDF is expected to pull out are south of the yellow line, where its forces are currently deployed. An Israeli official told Channel 13 that “in recent days we captured territory for negotiations, in order to withdraw from it.” He added, “We will withdraw from a small area in southern Lebanon, only a few percent of the territory,” and said, “We need to let the U.S. try its pilot.”

Earlier this week, Channel 13 reported that U.S. restrictions on the IDF and the Israeli government have been tightening in various arenas. According to those reports, the political echelon has issued the IDF formal instructions on what is permitted and forbidden in Lebanon, allowing freedom of action inside the yellow line for immediate threat prevention, but banning operations in more distant areas, including Beirut and Tyre. A senior Israeli official said the message from Washington in recent weeks was clear: Israel’s previous unrestricted operational leeway was over.