"Goodwill measures toward Lebanese government...Lebanese military should enter withdrawal areas"
"Israeli senior official denies...Lebanese senior official unaware"
Israeli soldiers patrolling near Lebanon border
Reuters reported on the 25th (local time), citing a U.S. State Department official, that Israeli troops have withdrawn from part of the buffer zone established in southern Lebanon.
The official said, "Israel has withdrawn from part of southern Lebanese territory that it occupied during the war with Hezbollah," and "Lebanese regular forces should now enter the area."
He did not specifically mention the scale of Israeli-withdrawn territory or the exact withdrawal points.
The official continued, "Israel has already taken concrete measures by withdrawing forces from part of the buffer zone," adding "This is an important show of goodwill toward the Lebanese government."
He added, "Now the Lebanese government forces must enter this area and remove terrorist weapons and infrastructure in a way that allows verification," and "This model will be expanded throughout southern Lebanon, which will enable safe return of displaced families, reconstruction of the southern region, and full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty."
Israel has not made an official response. However, an Israeli senior official denied the reports were true.
A senior Lebanese security official said he was unaware that Israeli troops had withdrawn from the buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon are holding talks in Washington under U.S. mediation to cease firefights between Hezbollah, an armed faction supported by Iran, and Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting the Middle East, emphasized on the previous day in Kuwait plans to establish and expand so-called "pilot zones" where Lebanese government forces enter and secure control and maintain security in parts of southern Lebanon currently controlled by Israeli forces.
He said, "Lebanese government forces and the Lebanese government must increasingly control and secure more of their own territory," and "The more areas Lebanese forces secure, the less territory Hezbollah controls, and the more Israel will reduce its presence in Lebanon. That's the key to this agreement."
meolakim@yna.co.kr
