Hezbollah Begins Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon... 'Government Forces to the South'

Commander "Remove Organization Members and Weapons from Southern Police Station"
Amid Sporadic Clashes, Both Sides Claim "Breach of Agreement"
Over 60 Areas in Southern Israel Under "Movement Ban"

Lebanon's pro-Iran armed group Hezbollah has begun withdrawing from southern Lebanon in accordance with a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Residents of Nabatieh returning to their hometown on the 28th (local time) following the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire EPA Yonhap News

The US daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 28th (local time), the second day of the ceasefire, that Hezbollah was withdrawing northward past Nabatieh, the largest city in southern Lebanon. A Hezbollah truck carrying rocket launchers was also seen moving northward from the outskirts of Nabatieh toward the border.

WSJ also reported that trucks carrying Lebanese army bulldozers and armored vehicles moved southward along the coastal highway.

While Hezbollah is withdrawing, the Lebanese government forces are expanding their troops in the south. Earlier, the Lebanese government forces announced that they had begun reinforcing their troops in the southern Litani region and released photos of troop movements.

Hezbollah's withdrawal from the southern border is a key issue in this ceasefire agreement. In the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, Hezbollah agreed to retreat north of the Litani River, about 30 km away from the Israeli border, and the Israeli military also agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon. The core of the agreement was that both sides would withdraw from the border area, leaving only the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) there.

Despite Hezbollah's withdrawal and the Lebanese army's troop movements, tensions remain on the ground as the Israeli military continues sporadic attacks in southern Lebanon.

Residents of Nabatieh returning to their hometown on the 28th (local time) following the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire Photo by EPA Yonhap News

On the same day, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah's medium-range rocket storage facilities in southern Lebanon, and separately, two Lebanese civilians were injured in sporadic attacks. The use of fighter jets for bombing just one day after the ceasefire was reached led both Israel and Hezbollah to accuse each other of "violating the ceasefire agreement." The 60-day ceasefire, which was barely achieved after 13 months of conflict, appears to be walking on thin ice from the start.

The Israeli military continues to pose dangerous situations by firing at residents returning to southern Lebanon and journalists covering the area after the ceasefire began.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned Lebanese residents on the 29th via X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Do not return to about 60 villages in the south," and added, "Anyone going south of the designated line is putting themselves at risk."