unsaveSave
Israeli forces have carried out the first withdrawal from a town in southern Lebanon as part of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, the US military’s Middle East Command, Centcom, announced.
Israel’s presence has been replaced by the Lebanese military.
Centcom’s leader Erik Kurilla was “present at the implementation”, announced in a statement.
The idea behind the ceasefire deal is for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon for a 60-day transitional period, and for Iran-backed Hezbollah to withdraw to the north. In a buffer zone, the UN’s existing mission Unifil will hold positions together with Lebanon’s regular but relatively weak army.
Since the ceasefire began in November, both sides have accused each other of breaking it.