US special envoy Amos Hochstein addresses a press conference after meeting with Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in Beirut. AFP
It is the second such pullout since a November 27 ceasefire and came after United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanon's prime minister late last month called on the Israeli army to speed up its withdrawal from Lebanon's south, as Israel pushes to extend the 60-day deal.
"The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqura... and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line," Hochstein told reporters, referring to the UN-demarcated boundary between the two countries.
"These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely, and as the Lebanese army continues to deploy into the south and all the way to the Blue Line," he added after meeting with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri.
"I have no reason not to expect that all parties -- all parties -- will remain committed to implementing the agreement that they agreed to," he added after meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati and following accusations from Israel and Hezbollah that each side was violating the deal.
Israel in September stepped up its bombing campaign and later sent troops into Lebanon following nearly a year of exchanges of cross-border fire over the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to stay in Lebanon beyond the 60-day ceasefire deal agreed upon on 27 November 2024, as Israel continues to violate the agreement, alleging that Hezbollah has not fulfilled the deal's terms.
Lebanon has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement and submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council that says Israel launched some 816 “ground and air attacks” between the start of the ceasefire and 22 December 2024.
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