Israel and Lebanon both rejected a U.S. official's account that Israeli forces had withdrawn from southern Lebanon as a goodwill gesture during talks with Beirut, sharpening the public split around a negotiation that remains tied to security, troop movements, and the future control of contested ground.
The denials came after a U.S. official said Israel had called back some troops in a sign of goodwill toward the Lebanese government. Israeli officials pushed back, saying no such withdrawal had taken place. Lebanese officials also rejected the claim.
The dispute matters because the talks are not about symbolism alone. According to the supplied evidence, Lebanon and Israel have been discussing a phased withdrawal in which the Lebanese army would move into vacated areas, partly to block Hezbollah from re-entering them and partly to dismantle facilities linked to the group. That arrangement would only be meaningful if both sides agreed on where Israeli troops were actually positioned and when they would move.
An Israeli government spokesperson, David Mencer, said any redeployment would happen only after Hezbollah was disarmed. A day earlier, Israel's defense minister had said Israel would not withdraw from Lebanon. Those statements undercut any reading that an operational pullback had already begun.
The issue is further complicated by the wider conflict. The source says Israel's bombing of Lebanon has repeatedly obstructed U.S.-Iran diplomacy, and a flare-up in fighting last week prompted Iran to threaten closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire brokered over the weekend largely halted the fighting, but Israeli troops have continued to carry out airstrikes and fire on vehicles in areas close to the land they occupy in southern Lebanon. On the event date, an Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon killed three people.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Bahrain that Israel and Lebanon were "very close" to a commitment of intent. That framing suggests progress, but not a signed or implemented deal. It also shows why even a disputed claim about troop movement can become politically sensitive: any suggestion of withdrawal can signal momentum, reduce pressure, or imply concessions before the parties are ready to confirm them.
The immediate facts are narrow. Israeli and Lebanese officials denied a withdrawal. Negotiations over a phased arrangement were still ongoing. And the core questions that remain unresolved are the ones that matter most on the ground: who controls the vacated areas, whether Hezbollah can return, and whether Israel will leave only after the group is disarmed. For now, the public record on the event date is not a completed pullback, but a contested claim about one.
