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AFP reported that the US ambassador entered the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya where he visited a local church. Lebanon’s official National News Agency stated that an Israeli drone surveyed the area during the envoy’s presence while Israeli military vehicles were seen moving in a neighboring town. The development reflects ongoing efforts to stabilize the border region following the June framework agreement.
The US-backed agreement signed on June 26 stipulates that Israeli forces will withdraw from parts of southern Lebanon as the Lebanese army deploys in designated pilot zones on the condition that Hezbollah disarms its presence there. A source from the Lebanese presidency told AFP that Israel declined to discuss new pilot zones during August talks without assurances that the army held full control of the initial areas. Direct negotiations between the two sides originally scheduled for this month have been delayed until October.
President Joseph Aoun had visited the same village on Saturday according to his office where he inspected Lebanese army units and viewed nearby Israeli military positions. The president’s trip underscored the importance placed on establishing effective army control in these zones. His office released statements detailing the observations made during the tour of the area.
In July a US military delegation held meetings with the Lebanese army command in Beirut to work out the mechanisms for the first pilot zone handover as reported by AFP. The delegation aimed to ensure no security vacuum emerged after Israeli troops pulled back from the selected locations. US Ambassador Michel Issa had briefed President Aoun prior to the delegation’s arrival on determining the implementation process.
The US State Department announced in July that Lebanese army operations had commenced in the three pilot villages of Froun Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya under the trilateral framework. This step followed talks in Rome between Israeli and Lebanese delegations the previous week. The framework envisions a phased approach to restoring Lebanese sovereignty south of the Litani River.
Lebanese officials speaking anonymously to AFP described the American military team’s primary objective as translating the framework agreement into on-the-ground action. The long-disempowered Lebanese military is gradually assuming responsibilities it had been unable to exercise in the south for years. Further pilot zones are being planned as the initial test cases proceed according to US officials.
