Shafaq News/ On Monday, Amos Hochstein, the US envoy mediating between Lebanon and Israel, announced that Israel has begun withdrawing its forces from the southern Lebanese town of al-Naqoura.

Speaking at a conference during his visit to Lebanon, Hochstein said “The Israeli military started its withdrawal from al-Naqoura … and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line,” confirming that the withdrawals will continue until all Israeli troops have left the area.

This process is tied to the deployment of the Lebanese Army up to the Blue Line, the demarcation set by the United Nations.

Earlier today, Hochstein arrived in Lebanon for a series of meetings, including a session with the ceasefire monitoring committee in the south and discussions with Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The Lebanese Army confirmed that its units had taken positions around al-Naqoura, near Tyre, and begun deployments in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The army stated that the next phase will involve further deployments and engineering surveys to clear unexploded ordnance in the area.

The army urged civilians to avoid the vicinity and follow military instructions until the operations were complete.

Israel’s withdrawal follows a series of incursions that began on September 30, described by the Israeli military as “limited and focused” operations targeting Hezbollah fighters. These actions included intensified airstrikes across Lebanon, reaching as far as Beirut.