US general monitors first withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. military officer visited Beirut on Wednesday to monitor the withdrawal of the first Israeli troops from Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement reached last month, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

Army General Michael Kurilla, CENTCOM's commander, visited the monitoring headquarters in Beirut for the ceasefire and met with the commander of Lebanon's armed forces, General Joseph Aoun, CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Kurilla was there to monitor "the ongoing first Israeli Defense Forces withdrawal and Lebanese Armed Forces replacement in Al Khiam, Lebanon, as part of the agreement," CENTCOM said.

"This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress," Kurilla said.

The U.S. and France serve as monitors of a 60-day truce between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah that calls for a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops after more than a year of war.

Under the agreement, Hezbollah fighters will leave their positions in southern Lebanon to move north of the Litani River, which runs about 20 miles (30 km) north of the border with Israel.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Stephen Coates)