Lebanese Army Begins Security Deployment in Southern Villages Under US-Backed Framework
The US State Department said operations had started in the pilot zones of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya "in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon."
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Lebanese army on Monday began taking charge of security in three southern villages under a US-backed framework aimed at facilitating an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and advancing the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The US State Department said operations had started in the pilot zones of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya "in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon."
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott described the move as "a direct outcome" of talks between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Rome last week, adding that Washington would continue working with both sides to ensure the framework is fully implemented.
The framework, signed by Lebanon, Israel and the United States on June 26 following several rounds of direct negotiations, outlines a phased Israeli withdrawal from positions in southern Lebanon.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces are to assume sole responsibility for security in areas vacated by Israeli troops and certify that they have been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and military infrastructure.
The three pilot zones are intended to test the implementation process before it is expanded to other areas along the Litani River.
Hezbollah has rejected the framework, insisting that any security arrangement in Lebanon should be tied to broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The Iran-backed group has not indicated whether it will oppose the deployment in the designated villages.
The agreement does not include a timetable for Israel's withdrawal. Israeli officials have said their forces will remain in a 10-kilometre (six-mile) "security zone" along the border for as long as Hezbollah retains its weapons.
A Lebanese military source told AFP that the army had intensified patrols in several villages adjacent to areas still occupied by Israeli forces, including Froun.
The framework was reached following a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Israel continues to carry out occasional airstrikes and controlled demolitions in villages near the border that remain under its control.
The latest developments come ahead of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday.