Lebanon army begins taking over southern ‘pilot zones’, says US

The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages on Monday, the United States said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.

The US state department said operations had started in “pilot zones” in Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya “in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon.”

Spokesman Tommy Pigott described the step as a direct outcome of talks held between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Rome last week.

The framework, signed by Lebanon, Israel and the US on 26 June, envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal from positions in southern Lebanon.

In exchange, the Lebanese Armed Forces are to assume sole security control of vacated areas and certify that they have been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure.

Hezbollah has rejected the framework, with the Iran-backed group insisting any arrangement in Lebanon be linked to wider negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

It has not said whether it will resist implementation in the designated areas.

The agreement does not set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal. Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a “security zone” six miles deep along the frontier for as long as Hezbollah remains armed.

The Lebanese military said on Monday that troops “continue to carry out their missions in the southern regions, including the towns of Froun and Srifa.”

“In parallel, coordination is underway with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L) to begin deployment in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya,” awaiting Israel’s withdrawal from there, the army added.

The mayor of Froun, Hassan Bazzi, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the Lebanese army has not yet begun deploying in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, because Israeli forces are yet to withdraw from the outskirts of the town.

“There have been no new developments in the town of Froun. The situation remains unchanged,” said.

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun is set to meet with Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday.