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🇱🇧 Lebanon /Conflict & Security

US delegation in Lebanon to discuss Israel 'pilot zone' withdrawal

From Naharnet · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A U.S. military delegation is in Beirut to discuss the implementation of Israel's withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.
  • The talks focus on the gradual withdrawal from "pilot zones" and the deployment of the Lebanese army.
  • The agreement, rejected by Hezbollah, does not set a timetable for Israel's full withdrawal.

A U.S. military delegation has arrived in Beirut to finalize the implementation of Israel's withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, according to a Lebanese military official. The discussions center on the gradual withdrawal from designated "pilot zones" and the subsequent deployment of the Lebanese army to these areas.

The American military delegation arrived and began meetings with the Lebanese Army command to discuss the mechanisms for implementing the first pilot zone from which the Israelis will withdraw, allowing the Lebanese Army to deploy.

— Lebanese military officialExplaining the purpose of the U.S. delegation's visit to Beirut.

This visit is a direct follow-up to a framework agreement reached on June 26. Under this deal, Israel is set to withdraw its troops from specific southern Lebanese territories where it has been engaged in conflict with Hezbollah. The Lebanese military, historically limited in its authority, will assume full control of these initial pilot zones.

The American delegation's primary objective is to "determine the mechanism" for the deal's implementation, as conveyed by U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa to President Joseph Aoun. A U.S. official in Washington indicated that the first pilot zone could launch within days, with further zones already being planned. U.S. Central Command will oversee coordination between Lebanon and Israel.

This is the main objective the American military delegation is bringing to Lebanon... it is the translation and implementation of the framework agreement.

— Lebanese military officialFurther elaborating on the delegation's mission.

However, the agreement faces significant hurdles. Hezbollah has rejected the framework, and Israeli officials maintain their forces will remain in a "security zone" up to 10 kilometers deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed. The conflict, which began in early March, has displaced over a million people in Lebanon, though the UN reports over 732,000 have returned home. Lebanon has conditioned its participation in upcoming talks in Rome on Israel's withdrawal from the two pilot zones.

the first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days, and further pilot zones are being mapped out and planned.

— U.S. officialProviding an estimated timeline for the withdrawal implementation.
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Originally published by Naharnet. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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