Israel begins to withdraw from south Lebanon under ceasefire deal
Israel's military has begun withdrawing from south Lebanon, more than two weeks after a US-mediated ceasefire was agreed with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
US Central Command said its leader Gen Michael Kurilla was on site to oversee the withdrawal. The Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, Unifil, have replaced the Israelis in Khiam, a town which witnessed some of the most severe fighting in the war.
“This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress,” Gen Kurilla said.
The Israeli military said its 7th Brigade had “concluded their mission in Khiam in southern Lebanon”.
Israel bombs Lebanon’s Khiam a day after withdrawing
Israel was accused of violating its ceasefire with Hezbollah, less than 24 hours after it withdraw from a strategic town in south Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Israel had bombed the town of Khiam, leading to deaths and injuries. An Israeli unit withdrew from Khiam on Wednesday and the Lebanese Army deployed to the town, under the terms of the ceasefire deal.
“These continued violations are the responsibility of the monitoring committee tasked with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire, which is required to address what happened immediately,” Mr Mikati said, referring to the US-led panel charged with overseeing the truce.
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