Israel Will Withdraw Troops from Lebanon Only After Hezbollah Is Disarmed

On Thursday, Israel declared that it would withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon only after Hezbollah had been disarmed, while the two countries continued US‑mediated talks in Washington.

Following Hezbollah’s entry into the Middle East war on Iran’s side in March, the Israeli military launched widespread airstrikes in Lebanon and deployed troops into the country’s south.

David Mencer, a government spokesman, told reporters: “We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, is not disarmed and is not demilitarised.”

Under U.S. pressure, Lebanese officials started direct talks with Israel in Washington in April.

The current three‑day session of talks is scheduled to conclude on Thursday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented that the two neighbours were approaching a “commitment of intent.”

When asked about the talks, Mencer said: “We are making it very clear that our responsibility is to our northern citizens and to all of Israel, and we will not allow any terrorist force near our border. That means any redeployment of IDF forces will occur only after the demilitarisation of southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hezbollah.”

He added: “We were already in this situation in 2024. Hezbollah was supposed to be disarmed, but they were not.”