Israeli forces withdrew from a southern Lebanese city on Wednesday, handing management to the Lebanese navy as a part of a cease-fire settlement, in response to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The command’s chief Gen. Erik Kurilla “was present at the implementation and monitoring headquarters today during the ongoing first Israeli Defense Forces withdrawal and Lebanese Armed Forces replacement in Al-Khiam, Lebanon, as part of the (ceasefire) agreement,” CENTCOM stated in a press release.
“This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress,” the assertion quoted Kurilla as saying.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated that the stationing of troops “in the Khiam and Marjayoun areas today represents a fundamental step toward strengthening the army’s deployment in the south, in implementation of the cease-fire decision.”
“We salute the army’s efforts” towards establishing “stability in the south,” Mikati stated in a put up on X.
The Israeli navy in the meantime stated its seventh Brigade had “concluded their mission in Khiam in southern Lebanon.”
“In accordance with the cease-fire understandings and with the coordination of the United States, soldiers of the Lebanese Armed Forces are being deployed in the area together” with UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping mission within the space, the Israeli assertion stated.
The Pentagon later stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, and instructed him the United States was working with its companions to assist the cease-fire.
Austin “emphasized that the cease-fire … has the potential to create the conditions to restore lasting calm and enable residents on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to return safely to their homes,” the U.S. readout stated.
Israel stepped up its navy marketing campaign in south Lebanon in late September after practically a 12 months of cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah in assist of its ally Hamas, following the Palestinian group’s Oct. 7, 2023 incursion of southern Israel.
A cease-fire got here into impact on Nov. 27 and is mostly holding, although each side have accused the opposite of repeated violations.
As a part of the settlement, the Lebanese military and United Nations peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon because the Israeli military withdraws over a interval of 60 days.
Hezbollah can also be meant to withdraw its forces north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle its navy infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Source: www.dailysabah.com