Israeli forces has withdrew from a strategic town in southern Lebanon and were replaced by Lebanese troops as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
The withdrawal from Al-Khiam came two weeks after the start of the ceasefire brokered by the United States and France.
“This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress,” Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called the development “a fundamental step towards strengthening the army’s deployment in the south, in implementation of the ceasefire decision.”
The ceasefire halted months of intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which included Israeli ground operations inside Lebanon and airstrikes that killed multiple Hezbollah leaders. Hezbollah launched cross-border attacks against Israel in solidarity with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip following the October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the ceasefire during a Wednesday phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, saying it could bring lasting calm and allow people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to return to their homes.
“The secretary emphasized the U.S. commitment to securing the release of all hostages in Gaza, including U.S. citizens, and urged the government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
The U.N. General Assembly demanded on Wednesday an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages still being held by Palestinian militants.
“The message that it is sending is that we are with you,” Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said after the vote. He added that it shows that Israel and its main backer, the United States, are more isolated internationally over the war.
The ceasefire resolution, which had 85 cosponsors, was adopted with 158 votes in favor and nine against, including the United States and Israel.
“The vote today is not a vote for compassion,” Israel’s ambassador, Danny Danon, said. “It is a vote for complicity.” He said the resolution failed to directly link the release of the remaining 100 hostages held by Hamas with the ceasefire, saying that amounted to “appeasement.”
The United States blocked a similar measure with its veto at the U.N. Security Council on November 20, saying that it could not support an unconditional ceasefire that did not come with the release of hostages. It voted against the ceasefire resolution in the General Assembly on Wednesday on similar grounds, as well as a second resolution supporting UNRWA, the embattled U.N aid agency that assists Palestinian refugees.
“Colleagues, the messages we send to the world through these resolutions matter. And both of these resolutions have significant problems,” U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood told the Assembly. “One rewards Hamas and downplays the need to release the hostages, and the other denigrates Israel without providing a path forward to increasing humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians.”
The General Assembly previously has called for a ceasefire, but its resolutions, though they carry the moral weight of the majority of the international community, are nonbinding and have been ignored.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of this abhorrent situation. We must uphold our political, humanitarian and moral obligation — I repeat — our moral obligation,” said Indonesia’s ambassador, Arrmanatha Nasir, in introducing the ceasefire proposal.
The text also demands that Palestinian civilians across Gaza be given immediate access to aid necessary for their survival. The situation is especially dire in northern Gaza, where the U.N. says between 65,000 to 75,000 Palestinians have been largely cut off from aid deliveries for the past two months. International hunger monitors say famine is imminent there.
“This organization cannot stand idly by while thousands of innocent lives are cut short,” Mexico’s ambassador, Héctor Vasconcelos, said.
Israel stepped up its military campaign in south Lebanon in late September after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas, following the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
A ceasefire came into effect on November 27 and is generally holding, though both sides have accused the other of repeated violations.
As part of the agreement, the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days.
Hezbollah is also meant to withdraw its forces north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
