VIDEO - IDF sources confirmed Sunday that Israeli army forces have completed their withdrawal from southern Lebanon, in accordance with the decision of the political and military echelons. The IDF said in a statement that it holds the “Lebanese government responsible for peace and security in its territory.” IDF troops shut border fence gate (Photo: Tsafrir Avayov) As for the border village of Rajar, army officials said the IDF would continue working toward reaching an agreement with UNIFIL and the Lebanese army on the matter. Ahead of the IDF's withdrawal, army officials stressed that contrary to the atmosphere that accompanied the withdrawal of May 2000, no festivities are expected this time around. "This is nothing like the withdrawal six years ago, not in terms of the atmosphere and not in operational terms," an army official told Ynet, and stated that the pullout will be carried out quietly. "We didn't occupy territories this time. We went in in the framework of an operation, and remained there as part of a political decision," he added. "There would be no festivities, but a quiet and practical operation," he stated. Another officer told Ynet earlier that the first forces would depart Lebanon from several areas: "The decision to pull the forces out, despite the fact that there are still unresolved issued in the coordination with UNIFIL, was made because there is no longer a point in keeping the soldiers in the region. These differences can be bridged after the troops are in Israel," he explained. En route to Israel (Photo: AFP) In the framework of preparations for the withdrawal, large Military Police forces have deployed on roads in northern Israel, in a bid to allow for a smooth flow of the units back into the country. IDF reserves right to act Military officials stressed that in the near future, the activity of the Lebanese and UNIFIL forces will need to be monitored closely, while the Northern Command will also have to address the important mission of deployment on the Israeli side of the border. As part of Israel's policy to prevent a return to the reality that prevailed prior to the war, Defense Minister Amir Peretz instructed the IDF to toughen its rules of engagement against Hizbullah forces on the border. At the same time, soldiers will be asked to use discretion and caution, as not to accidentally hurt Lebanese army or UN forces. The defense establishment seeks to create a situation where the army will not need to respond to irregular incidents on the border, and that a report to UNIFIL representatives would suffice for such actions to be addressed. However, security officials said, if the Lebanese forces fail in acting as required – the IDF reserves the right to act on its own. One of the issues that remained disputed up until the last moment was the subject of the village of Rajar, located partly on the Israeli side of the border and partly on the Lebanese side. It was agreed that for now a small army force will remain in the area until the matter is fully resolved. Israel seeks to have supervision of the movement in and out of the village, in order to prevent it from becoming a "weak point" on the border. Meanwhile, the families of kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev expressed Saturday evening their disappointment with the fact that the IDF forces are pulling out without having retrieved them. “The fighting in Lebanon has ceased, and now the soldiers are leaving the country even before a sign of life was received from the captive soldiers,” the families said in a statement. “We are glad that the soldiers are returning home, but we bemoan the fact that our sons are not with them.” Ahiya Raved contributed to the report