• Tel Aviv refuses withdrawal despite US citing ‘good faith’ retreat; ties any redeployment to Hezbollah disarmament
• Three killed in Israeli drone strike in south; Beirut says Israeli presence still blocks Lebanese army access
• Marco Rubio says both nations close to ‘commitment of intent’ in Washington talks

BEIRUT: Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any Israeli withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon, contradicting a US official who said Israel pulled troops back in a good faith gesture toward Lebanon’s government.

A US State Department official claimed Israel had taken a concrete step by pulling back from a portion of its 10-kilometre buffer zone, describing it as a “significant demonstration of good faith” meant to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to move in and clear out terrorist weapons.

However, a senior Israeli defence official denied any pullback, asserting Israel will not withdraw from the buffer zone it established to protect northern Israeli communities. Israel’s military confirmed there was no change in its soldiers’ locations.

A senior Lebanese military official also dismissed the US claim, stating that developments on the ground “show the opposite of a pullback”, as Israel continues to enforce the zone against anyone approaching, including the Lebanese army.

The “pilot zone” proposal is part of the latest round of US-mediated talks in Washington, focusing on handing occupied territory to Lebanon’s military. Disputes have emerged over the withdrawal mechanism. Lebanon wants the pilot plan implemented within Israel’s buffer zone, while Israel wants to start by withdrawing from areas north of that zone without setting a timeline.

Disarmament demands

Israeli officials maintained on Thursday that forces will only withdraw from southern Lebanon after Hezbollah is completely disarmed.

“We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, is not disarmed and is not demilitarised,” Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told reporters.

He emphasised that any redeployment of military forces would occur only after the area’s demilitarisation.

“We’ve already been in this situation in 2024,” Mencer added. “Hezbollah were supposed to be disarmed. They weren’t.”

Echoing this stance, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Israel opposed withdrawing from the security zone despite pressure. Katz stated the military would remain in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for as long as necessary.

Deadly Israeli strikes continue

Despite the ongoing negotiations and a broader lull in fighting, an Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that a drone targeted a vehicle on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun, killing three people and wounding one. An Israeli military official confirmed the strike.

The attack marks the second consecutive day such an event occurred and is the third deadly incident since Tuesday, bringing the number of people killed in Israeli attacks this week to seven.

Diplomatic progress praised

Even amid the violence and conflicting withdrawal claims, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the progress made during the direct talks in Washington, which are slated to wrap up on Thursday.

“I think we are very close in our hopes of getting a commitment of intent between the two countries,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Bahrain.

“It’ll be a process, it’ll take some time, it’ll take a lot of work, but I can tell you that for the first time in 30 years, the sovereign government of Lebanon is speaking to the government of Israel directly.”

Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began the direct talks with Israel in April. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasised on Wednesday that these negotiations remain separate from US peace talks with Iran.

Published in Dawn, June 26 , 2026