Lebanese army begins takeover of ‘pilot zones’
WASHINGTON: 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 south Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground. The...
The Lebanese army has begun assuming security responsibilities in three southern villages, according to the United States, marking the first on-the-ground test of a recently signed arrangement aimed at enabling an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the eventual disarmament of Hezbollah.
The US State Department said on Monday that operations had started in the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, which it described as “pilot zones” under the Trilateral Framework and the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the move was “a direct outcome” of talks between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Rome last week and said Washington would continue working with both sides to bring the framework to a “successful conclusion.”
The agreement, signed by Lebanon, Israel and the United States on June 26 after several rounds of direct negotiations, sets out a phased Israeli pullback from positions in south Lebanon. In return, the Lebanese Armed Forces are expected to take sole security control of areas vacated by Israeli forces and certify that those areas have been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure.
The pilot zones are designed to test that process in a limited number of villages along the Litani River before it is expanded elsewhere. The plan does not set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal, and Israeli officials have said their forces will remain in a 10-kilometre security zone along the frontier as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
Hezbollah has rejected the framework, saying any arrangement in Lebanon should be linked to broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The group has not said whether it would attempt to block implementation in the designated villages.
The Lebanese military said in a statement that its troops “continue to carry out their missions in the southern regions, including the towns of Froun and Srifa.” It added that coordination was under way with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon to begin deployment in Zawtar al-Gharbiya once Israeli forces withdrew, and warned residents not to go to the town. Israeli forces, the summary said, remain on the outskirts of Zawtar al-Gharbiya.
Last week, Lebanon’s military said it had intensified patrols in several villages near areas occupied by Israeli forces, including Froun. The wider arrangement follows a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, though Israel continues to carry out occasional strikes in southern Lebanon and demolitions in villages it occupies near the border.
Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington on Sunday and praised Lebanon’s “move towards peace” after the latest talks with Israel. Lebanese officials said Aoun is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. It was the first visit to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman met Barack Obama in 2009.
This report is based on a monitored public feed. Source attribution: Dawn World. Source: Dawn World - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017160/lebanese-army-begins-takeover-of-pilot-zones
