ALBAWABA - An American official reportedly said that the Israeli Army had withdrawn from some of the areas in Lebanon, according to a Reuters report on Thursday.
The U.S. official said that the Israeli troops' pulling from some areas is a good-faith gesture toward Lebanon's government and a step toward peace.
On the other side, senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied reports made by the U.S. regarding any withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon.
Earlier, Israel and Lebanon discussed a U.S.-backed proposal that Israeli forces should leave some areas in southern Lebanon and hand them over to the Lebanese army to take control, with the aim of restoring Lebanese control of the occupied territory.
A Lebanese army soldier walks past the rubble of the local branch of the Banque du Liban, Lebanon’s Central Bank, following Israeli bombardment, in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on June 21, 2026. Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP
"Israel has already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone. This is a significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon’s legitimate government," the State Department official said.
Israel's Hayom news agency quoted Israeli officers stationed at a Lebanese position who said, "We have not received any instructions to withdraw from the position."
In addition, a Lebanese military source told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army is still stationed in all the areas they recently took by force in southern Lebanon.
