Israel said Thursday that it would only withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon after Hezbollah was disarmed, as the two countries engaged in US-mediated talks in Washington. "We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, are not disarmed and are not demilitarised," David Mencer, a government spokesman, said in a briefing to journalists. Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks in April with Israel in Washington. The latest three-day round of talks is due to wrap up on Thursday, Reuters reported. Commenting on the negotiations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two neighbors were close to making a "commitment of intent". Asked about the talks, Mencer said: "We are making extremely clear that our responsibility is to our northern citizens and to the whole of Israel, and we will not allow any terrorist force anywhere near our border -- which means that any redeployment of - Israeli - forces comes after, not before, but after the demilitarisation of southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hezbollah." "We've already been in this situation in 2024," he added. "Hezbollah were supposed to be disarmed. They weren't." Meanwhile, Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any Israeli withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon, after a US official said Israel had pulled some troops back in a good faith gesture toward Lebanon's government. A US State Department official said that "Israel has already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone". The so-called buffer zone is a vast area of southern Lebanon that Israeli forces are occupying north of the Israeli border. The official described the move as "a significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon's legitimate government." "The (Lebanese Armed Forces) should now move in and verifiably clear out terrorist weapons and infrastructure. This model will be repeated across South Lebanon, enabling the safe return of displaced families, reconstruction of the south, and the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty," the official added. A senior Israeli defense official denied there had been any kind of pullback or withdrawal by Israeli forces, and said Israel would not be withdrawing from its buffer zone. Another Israeli military official told Reuters on Wednesday that the military had not received orders to hand over any position to the Lebanese army and that, for now, it would not permit the Lebanese army or civilians to cross into the buffer zone. "We will not allow the Lebanese army to go south from the security line," the official said.
