Beirut, Lebanon. Israel’s military on Thursday published a map showing an expanded zone of control for its troops in southern Lebanon, while Israeli officials said Israel was in talks with the United States over continuing the deployment.
An interim pact signed on Wednesday to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran calls for an end to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and for parties to ensure “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”
Expanded zone of control
Israel has rejected calls to withdraw troops from southern Lebanon, which it invaded in March in response to rocket fire by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
The military, which in April published a map marking its so-called buffer zone in southern Lebanon, released a new map showing its troops are operating several kilometres deeper into the country, including near the Hezbollah stronghold of Nabatieh north of the Litani River.
Israeli troops have been operating in some of those areas for several weeks, but the military had not previously published a map showing the expanded zone of control.
In the map published on Thursday, the military described the territory, marked in dark red, as: “The security zone in which IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon”.
Fighting and displacement
Israeli attacks and the destruction of villages have killed thousands and triggered a displacement crisis.
Hezbollah has continued to launch attacks on Israeli positions in the south this week, including with explosive drones that have killed and injured troops.
Talks with the United States
Two Israeli officials, including a senior official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel was holding talks with the United States over maintaining its troop deployment in southern Lebanon.
The senior official described those talks as “stubborn”.
Tensions over Iran war
Netanyahu and Donald Trump have repeatedly clashed in recent weeks as the U.S. president sought to extricate himself from the war against Iran that he jointly launched with his longtime Israeli ally.
