The Israel Broadcasting Corporation said that Tel Aviv decided to delay the tentative withdrawal from the Lebanese regions of Zoutar and Froun, despite the agreement reached over the weekend between the two sides, under the pretext of "waiting until a joint monitoring mechanism is reached with Beirut."
The Israeli authority quoted unnamed sources as saying that discussions within the Israeli army concluded that the initial timetable was "no longer feasible" and that the withdrawal was "postponed until a joint monitoring mechanism is agreed between the Lebanese and Israeli armies" that will oversee the implementation of the ceasefire, according to the secret security annex to the agreement.
According to these sources, there are currently no specific timetables, and that the withdrawal "will take place, but it must be done properly," noting that Tel Aviv will not withdraw its forces until clear criteria are set to ensure that the Lebanese army moves against Hezbollah in a "concrete and immediate manner."
Netanyahu 'infiltrates' southern Lebanon
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that his country will not withdraw from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah exists. This came in a video of Netanyahu during a tour he conducted with his defense minister Yisrael Katz in occupied areas in southern Lebanon, which Tel Aviv calls the "security fence," days after the signing of the "framework agreement," according to Israeli Army Radio.
Israel calls what it calls the "security zone" a buffer strip that extends for several kilometers inside Lebanese territory along the border, which it established during the last war with Hezbollah in 2024 and 2025, and expanded its presence in it after escalating its military operations as of March 2.
Tel Aviv says the goal of this area is to prevent Hezbollah from approaching the border and threatening the residents of the north, in what Lebanon considers a violation of its sovereignty and occupation of southern territory.
U.S. forces to monitor southern Lebanon
A U.S. official said Tuesday that the United States will play a direct role in monitoring the movements of the Lebanese and Israeli militaries by deploying U.S. troops on the ground in both countries, according to the Washington Post.
The U.S. official said the forces have been on surveillance since the 2024 agreement and will monitor violations to enable the political leadership to exert pressure, with CENTCOM officials reporting directly to the Trump administration.
Beirut and Tel Aviv, under the auspices of the United States, signed on Friday evening, June 24, a "framework agreement" that stipulates a "sequential" Israeli withdrawal from all of the occupied Lebanese territory, starting with two unnamed test zones.
The agreement did not set a timetable for the withdrawal, and linked it to the Lebanese army's assumption of full security responsibility in the areas from which the withdrawal is being made, and the disarmament of armed groups, with particular reference to Hezbollah.
While Lebanese officials saw the agreement as a "first step" on the road to restoring the state's sovereignty over its entire territory, Hezbollah considered it "non-existent" and "humiliating," and considered linking the withdrawal to its disarmament "crossing red lines."
The Amal Movement and Lebanese forces considered the agreement unenforceable, demanding that the Lebanese government disclose all secret annexes associated with the agreement, stressing that the issue of limiting weapons to the hands of the state is an internal Lebanese affair and should not be included in any external negotiations, especially with the "Israeli enemy."
Jumblatt and Bassil may join the duo of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement
Media sources revealed yesterday that the Amal Movement and Hezbollah are moving to study a package of constitutional and political options to put forward the tripartite framework agreement between Lebanon, Israel and the United States for a vote in the House of Representatives and drop it in parliament because it loses political and constitutional cover.
According to the sources, this trend goes beyond the duo of Hezbollah and the Amal movement to expand towards a broader political intersection, where coordination is being made with the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, in parallel with intensive contacts with the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, to persuade him to join this track.
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