Israeli troops start to withdraw from southern Lebanon

Israeli forces are beginning to withdraw from southern Lebanon, hours before the deadline for its complete pullout from Lebanon as per the ceasefire deal reached last November.

“Israeli forces are beginning to withdraw from border villages, including Meiss el-Jabal and Blida, as the Lebanese army advances,” an unnamed official was quoted as saying to AFP news agency on Monday.

Earlier, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Nadav Shoshani said that “based on the current situation, we will leave small amounts of troops deployed temporarily in five strategic points along the border in Lebanon”.

This comes after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had raised concerns that a complete withdrawal would not be achieved.

On Monday, Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said that the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel.