Israel says troops stay in south Lebanon after truce

June 5, 2026

Summary

Israel said it will keep troops in southern Lebanon despite a new ceasefire announced after U.S.-mediated talks.

Why this matters

The announcement underscored how fragile the latest ceasefire is and how quickly fighting could continue despite diplomatic efforts. It also highlighted the broader regional stakes, with U.S.-backed talks on Lebanon unfolding alongside tensions involving Iran.

Israel said Thursday that its military would continue operations in Lebanon and remain in parts of southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire announcement a day earlier after U.S.-mediated talks in Washington.

In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would stay in areas Israel holds in southern Lebanon as part of what the government called a buffer zone to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks.

Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to implement a ceasefire, according to a joint statement after the talks. The statement said the ceasefire was “contingent on a complete cessation” of fire by Hezbollah and the evacuation of the group’s operatives from southern Lebanon.

The sides also agreed to create “pilot zones” in which the Lebanese armed forces “will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors.” They are due to meet again the week of June 22 “with a view toward reaching a comprehensive agreement.”

Fighting continued Wednesday. Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli troops, and Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities. Hours after the agreement was announced, air raid alarms sounded in northern Israel after what authorities described as a “suspicious aerial target,” with no casualties reported.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a “hostile aircraft” and two projectiles from Lebanon on Wednesday. Early Thursday, Hezbollah said it fired a “salvo of rockets” at Israeli soldiers and vehicles in Al-Qantara in southern Lebanon and targeted an Israeli command position near Chqif Castle with two drones.

Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he wanted to separate talks on Lebanon from those on the war with Iran. Iran, however, said the conflicts were linked, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any attack on Beirut would trigger a “full-scale resumption” of war.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli strikes hit more than 20 locations in the south, including a car on the main highway out of Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said a strike near Tyre killed four Syrians and two Palestinians, and other strikes killed three paramedics and a soldier. The army said an officer and another soldier were wounded in a separate strike on a military vehicle.

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