South Lebanon updates: Lebanese Army faces hurdles as Israel stalls withdrawal amid buffer zone talks

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Officially, Lebanon has not been informed about the growing rhetoric in Israel suggesting that Israeli forces will not withdraw from South Lebanon by the end of the 60 days stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. 

Amid these Israeli declarations, calls for establishing a buffer zone in southern Lebanon are growing louder, while Israeli delays and incursions persist across several areas south of the Litani River.  

The Israeli military has failed to withdraw from key points such as Naqoura, Tayr Harfa, and other locations, contrary to earlier assurances that the Lebanese Army would take over these areas by 10 a.m. on Sunday. Despite preparing for a swift deployment into the vacated areas, Lebanese forces were met with renewed Israeli actions.  

Instead of withdrawing, Israeli troops advanced into the Wadi Hamoul area in the western sector, occupied the Cyprianna Hotel, and continued demolition, arson, and bulldozing operations in Tayr Harfa and Aitaroun. Israeli machinery also moved towards Taybeh, conducting sweeping operations. 

On Saturday, Israel carried out demolitions in Chihine and Jebbayn while pushing into areas previously untouched, such as Aqabat Maroun near Bint Jbeil.  

In recent days, Israeli forces have penetrated deeper than ever into areas like Beit Lif, Wadi Al-Hujair, Qantara, and Aadchit El Qsair. These actions coincide with Israeli accusations against the Lebanese Army for allegedly slow deployment and failure to confiscate weapons or take control of Hezbollah-linked sites.  

However, Lebanese military sources argue that their forces have promptly moved into every location vacated by Israeli troops, including Khiam, Biyyadah, and Shamaa. They argue that the delay stems from Israel's reluctance to follow through on its withdrawal commitments. Additionally, the Lebanese Army cannot operate in areas still under Israeli occupation.  

The Lebanese Army, in coordination with UNIFIL, has actively fulfilled its responsibilities south of the Litani River. Joint operations have targeted dozens of sites, with oversight from the ceasefire monitoring committee. U.S. committee head Jasper Jeffer commended the Lebanese Army for its professionalism, highlighting the removal of 9,800 explosive remnants from over 80 sites.  

Despite these efforts, large swathes of land south of the Litani remain under Israeli control or inaccessible to Lebanese forces. Israel is reportedly using this time to dismantle alleged Hezbollah infrastructure, including tunnels, weapons caches, and operational sites while continuing to demolish and booby-trap homes.  

These developments set the stage for the upcoming meeting of the ceasefire committee, which is expected to include U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein.