WASHINGTON— Israeli troops withdrew for the first time from a town in southern Lebanon and were replaced by the Lebanese army under a ceasefire, the US Central Command (Centcom) said on Wednesday.



The command’s leader, General Erik Kurilla, “was present today at the Implementation and Monitoring Headquarters during the ongoing First Withdrawal of the Israeli Army and Replacement of the Lebanese Forces in Al-Khiam, Lebanon, as part of the (cease) the fire) agreement,” Centcom said in a statement. statement.


“This is an important first step in implementing a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for further progress,” the statement quoted Kurilla as saying.



Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the stationing of troops “in the Khiam and Marjayoun areas today is a fundamental step towards strengthening the army’s deployment in the south, in implementation of the ceasefire -fire decision.”


“We welcome the military’s efforts to achieve “stability in the south,” Mikati said in a post on X.






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The Israeli army, meanwhile, said its 7th Brigade had “completed their mission in Khiam in southern Lebanon.”


“In accordance with ceasefire agreements 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 in the area, the Israeli statement said.



The Pentagon later said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, and told him that the United States was working with its partners to support the ceasefire.


Austin “emphasized that the ceasefire…has the potential to create the conditions to restore lasting peace and enable residents on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to return safely to their homes” , according to the American reading.



Israel stepped up its military campaign in southern Lebanon in late September, after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges started by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas, following the Palestinian group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.



A ceasefire came into effect on November 27 and remains generally in place, although both sides have accused the other of repeated violations.



As part of the agreement, the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers will deploy to southern Lebanon while the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days.


Hezbollah also plans to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.



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