US says Lebanese army deploying to ‘pilot zones,’ including one IDF will withdraw from

The US announced on Monday that the Lebanese army has begun deploying to three southern villages—Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya—as part of “pilot zone operations” under a trilateral framework agreement. This agreement, reached between Israel, Lebanon, and the United States, aims for a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) assuming security control and disarming Hezbollah in vacated areas. An unnamed Israeli official indicated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would make its first withdrawal on Tuesday, with Zawtar Al-Gharbiya being within the IDF’s buffer zone, requiring an Israeli pullout. The LAF confirmed “coordination is underway” for its deployment in Zawtar al-Gharbiya “following the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from it.” Hezbollah has rejected the framework, but it is unclear if they will resist its implementation.