Israeli Official Confirms No Permanent Military Posts Planned Deep in Southern Lebanon

A senior Israeli defense official told Kan News that Israel does not plan to establish permanent military posts deep within the security zone in southern Lebanon. The official explained that setting up such posts would cost billions of shekels, which the state cannot afford. He emphasized the distinction between maintaining positions along the "line of fists" near the border and building posts eight kilometers inside Lebanese territory.

On Saturday night, it was reported that a working team led by U.S. Marine Corps Central Command commander Joseph Clearfield, responsible for the pilot Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, is expected to arrive in Israel this week. Their mission is to plan the next two territorial cells from which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw. The handover of these areas to the Lebanese army is estimated to take between one and three weeks.

The IDF has already formulated several alternatives regarding the next two withdrawal zones, which have been submitted to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Zamir is expected to present these options to the Israeli Security Cabinet for approval.