Story perspectives

US Calls Israeli Buffer Pullback “Goodwill,” Hezbollah Decries Drone Strike

6/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

A U.S. State Department official called an Israeli pullback from the southern Lebanon buffer zone a “gesture of goodwill,” although no troops have moved.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the United States has not demanded a withdrawal, while Lebanese officials say Israeli forces enforce the 620-square-kilometre buffer zone, razing villages.
Hezbollah condemned an Israeli drone strike that killed two people outside Nabatieh as a cease-fire violation.

History

Historical Context

In June 1982 Defense Minister Ariel Sharon launched Operation Peace for Galilee, inserting Israeli troops into southern Lebanon and creating a security zone that later housed roughly 1,500 IDF and 2,500 SLA soldiers. The occupation gave rise to Hezbollah, which battled Israeli forces throughout the 1990s. Israel’s unilateral withdrawal on 25 May 2000 ended the security zone, leaving a disputed border area that remains contested today.

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Story summary

A U.S. State Department official called an Israeli pullback from the southern Lebanon buffer zone a “gesture of goodwill,” although no troops have moved.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the United States has not demanded a withdrawal, while Lebanese officials say Israeli forces enforce the 620-square-kilometre buffer zone, razing villages.
Hezbollah condemned an Israeli drone strike that killed two people outside Nabatieh as a cease-fire violation.

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