Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any withdrawal of Israeli troops from areas of IDF-held southern Lebanon, after a US official reportedly claimed that the IDF pulled some of its troops back in a good-faith gesture toward Lebanon’s government amid ongoing talks between the two countries.

Israeli and Lebanese officials have been meeting this week in Washington to discuss, among other things, a proposal for the IDF to withdraw from “pilot zones” and transfer control of them to the Lebanese military in order to prevent Hezbollah from returning to the areas.

However, sources told The Times of Israel that the current round of talks in Washington has been the least productive to date, with both Israeli and Lebanese officials voicing frustration over the US decision to make a ceasefire in Lebanon part of the memorandum of understanding it inked last week with Iran. Despite the displeasure, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon are close to making a “commitment of intent,” without elaborating.

Meanwhile, Reuters cited an unnamed State Department official who claimed that “Israel has already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone. This is a significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon’s legitimate government.”

The official said the pilot zone process is aimed at ensuring the complete and verifiable destruction of Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure and the dismantlement of non-state armed groups.

“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.

The State Department did not respond to repeated requests to clarify........

© The Times of Israel