Israel has officially denied a U.S. State Department claim that it withdrew from buffer zones in southern Lebanon, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post published Thursday. Two IDF sources flatly rejected the American assertion, while a senior Lebanese security official told the Post that Beirut was also unaware of any such troop movement.
The U.S. official had argued that Israel had "already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone," calling it a "significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon’s legitimate government." The official urged the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to "move in and verifiably clear out terrorist weapons and infrastructure," adding that this model would be repeated across the south to enable the return of displaced families. However, the IDF sources quoted by The Jerusalem Post contradicted this, insisting no pullback has occurred.
The report, written by Yonah Jeremy Bob and Reuters, details that during recent negotiations, Israel offered only a very modest "pilot" withdrawal—potentially from recently taken areas like Tibnin and the Ali Taher Ridge. The concept, per IDF thinking, is to test whether the LAF will effectively dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in those specific zones before committing to broader redeployments. Some Israeli officials are attempting to differentiate between areas that offer Hezbollah a direct line of sight to fire on Israeli villages and those that do not.
Despite these nuances, both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah—while at odds on most issues—are jointly pushing for a faster and wider withdrawal, The Jerusalem Post reported. Multiple potential retreat lines exist. Until May 26, Israel had not crossed the Litani River or Wadi Saluki, and the IDF could revert to that boundary. Alternatively, it could pull back from the current deep advance of over 10 kilometers to one of three village lines, or even to the five outposts held just several hundred meters into Lebanon as of February 2025.
However, given that a previous withdrawal took four months, any future pullback is expected to be gradual, contingent on Hezbollah's ceasefire compliance and the LAF's willingness to confront the group. Crucially, The Jerusalem Post notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have signaled that the IDF may remain in parts of southern Lebanon for "many months or even years" to pressure Hezbollah into disarmament, complicating any imminent U.S.-led diplomatic breakthrough.