Current sectionMiddle East NewsLebanon News The denial followed a report citing a U.S. State Department official saying Israeli forces pulled back from some of the territory occupied in southern Lebanon as a 'gesture of good faith' toward the Lebanese governmentShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeReuters01:27 PM • June 25 2026 IDTSenior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any Israeli withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon, after a U.S. State Department official said Israel had pulled back from parts of the territory it occupies in its war with Hezbollah, in what the official described as a "good faith" gesture toward Lebanon's government.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:LebanonHezbollahBenjamin NetanyahuIsrael KatzCease-fire/hostage release talksCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesU.S.-IranTrump-NetanyahuGazaWest BankNew York PrimaryLeo MessiHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIsrael Denies Report of Partial Withdrawal From Southern Lebanon 'Buffer Zone'Hundreds Protest in Southern Israel Against Planned Demolition in Bedouin TownReturning Southern Lebanon Residents Find Rubble Where Their Homes Once StoodIsraeli Universities Rise in Global Rankings, Palestinian University Makes ListIsraeli Soldier Killed in Southern Lebanon Operational Accident, IDF SaysRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAs the World Watched Gaza, Israeli Settlers Charged Ahead in the West Bank. A Clash Is ImminentWhere Does Andy Burnham Stand on Israel and Palestine?Israel Is Conducting a Systematic Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing in the West BankIsrael Is Bleeding Support in U.S. and Pouring Tens of Millions to Change ThatTrump's Iran Deal Castrates Netanyahu, but It's Still Catastrophic for IsraelReport: Netanyahu 'Likely' to Sabotage Iran Deal, U.S. Officials Tell Trump