A U.S. military delegation met Lebanese army commanders in Beirut to discuss the first proposed Israeli withdrawal area in southern Lebanon, according to a Lebanese military official speaking to AFP. The discussions concern a framework agreement under which the Lebanese army would assume security responsibility in designated “pilot zones” as Israeli forces redeploy and Lebanese troops move in.
Israel, Lebanon and the United States said after talks in Rome that they had agreed on the structure and principles of the pilot-zone process, with final details and implementation expected in the coming days. The framework provides for a gradual, verified transfer of security responsibility to the Lebanese army. Two initial zones have been agreed, and further areas would require mutual agreement.
The monitoring mechanism remains unresolved. During the U.S.-mediated discussions, mediators proposed Italian soldiers as possible monitors for weapons removal and the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters from vacated areas, Ynet reported. A proposal for UNIFIL oversight was opposed by Israel and the United States, while Lebanese officials have sought responsibility for both territorial control and inspection through the national army.
The planned deployments coincide with substantial returns to southern Lebanon, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. It reported that more than 732,000 people had returned home, while more than 430,000 remained displaced. The security environment remains uncertain: Israel has continued intermittent strikes, and the Israeli military said it struck a building after alleging that Hezbollah operatives had moved anti-tank missiles into it. Hezbollah has rejected the framework agreement, and Israeli officials have said forces would remain in a security zone as long as Hezbollah is armed.
