Israeli officials have conditioned any further withdrawals from positions beyond the Litani River on verifiable Lebanese Armed Forces control and Hezbollah disarmament in southern Lebanon, as outlined in the June 2026 Washington framework agreement establishing limited pilot zones. That deal, which included only minor, conditions-based pullbacks from two small areas rather than a fixed timeline, has seen slow implementation amid ongoing Israeli operations and Hezbollah rejection. As of mid-September 2026, the IDF chief of staff stated that the conflict is not over, emphasized maintaining forward defensive positions inside Lebanese territory, and highlighted the need for stronger Lebanese army performance before additional redeployments. These security priorities, combined with buffer zone consolidation and limited progress on disarmament, shape trader assessments of timelines for broader Israeli force reductions.