Israeli forces pulled out of populated areas in southern Lebanon, but retained control over strategic border points as a deadline lapsed for both Israel and Hezbollah to leave the region.

Even as Israel has withdrawn from most of southern Lebanon, it has kept soldiers at five outposts along the Israel-Lebanon border

The IDF withdrew from border villages but stayed put in five locations that violates the ceasefire, Lebanon's top officials said.

The Israeli army confirmed Monday that its troops will withdraw from all Lebanese border villages, but retain five strategic positions in southern Lebanon beyond the Feb. 18 cease-fire deadline.

Israel’s military said it would maintain a presence in five locations along its border with Lebanon, despite a Tuesday deadline to withdraw troops as part of a cease-fire with Hezbollah.

The Israeli military is keeping troops at five southern Lebanese posts despite a Tuesday withdrawal deadline and Hezbollah warnings that Israel is violating a ceasefire agreement.

The IDF said that the Lebanese army is doing better than ever before and is surprisingly confronting Hezbollah in some instances but that its performance is still far below where it needs to be.

Israeli forces have withdrawn from border villages in southern Lebanon under a deadline spelled out in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war

Under a truce brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah since early October.