Israeli and U.S. flags stand against a backdrop of destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel. AP
A senior Lebanese security official told Reuters there had been no indication of a withdrawal, adding that Israeli occupation forces continue to occupy territory in the south and are preventing anyone – including units of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) – from entering the area.
The comments came after a US State Department official said Israel had withdrawn from part of the buffer zone in what they described as a “significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon’s legitimate government”.
The official urged the Lebanese army to move into the area and “verifiably clear out” Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure, adding that the arrangement could later be expanded across southern Lebanon to facilitate the return of displaced civilians and restore Lebanese sovereignty.
Shortly after, Tel Aviv released a statement, with a government spokesman telling journalists on Thursday that Israeli occupation forces “will not withdraw” from southern Lebanon, while also calling on Hezbollah to lay down its weapons.
Separately, a senior Israeli defence official told Reuters that Israel “would not be withdrawing” from what it calls its "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon.
The continued Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon comes amid ongoing Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure that have displaced more than one million people, raising the risk of derailing wider US-Iran negotiations aimed at a regional settlement.
Last week, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that extended a fragile ceasefire and set a 60-day framework for talks toward a broader agreement.
Tehran has insisted that any lasting deal requires Israel to halt its war on Lebanon and withdraw from the occupied areas in the south of the country.
Separately, Israel and Lebanon have been engaged in US-mediated talks aimed at implementing the ceasefire along the border.
The latest round produced a proposal for US-supervised “pilot zones”, under which the Lebanese Armed Forces would assume exclusive control of designated areas after the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure from the territory between the Israeli border and the Litani River. The zones are intended as a phased test of Lebanese state authority before any wider Israeli withdrawal.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has rejected the proposal, calling the US-backed negotiations a “farce” and saying resistance would continue “as long as the occupation exists”. He said any ceasefire must include a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Despite the ceasefire framework, Israeli occupation forces have continued near-daily air and drone strikes, artillery shelling, and demolitions across southern Lebanon, while maintaining their occupation of territory in the south. The Israeli attacks have caused widespread destruction and have prevented many displaced residents from returning home, particularly in border villages and around the strategic Beaufort Castle.
An Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, Lebanese state media reported. It was the third deadly incident since Tuesday, bringing the number of people killed in Israeli attacks this week to seven.
The latest Israeli strike comes as Lebanese and Israeli officials meet in Washington for a fifth round of direct negotiations.
On Wednesday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said that Israeli attacks since 2 March had killed 4,211 people and wounded 12,173 others. Earlier the same day, it said two people were killed when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in southern Lebanon.
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