US says Lebanese army begins takeover of villages held by IDF

US says Israel-Lebanon agreement enters operational phase in three villages in southern Lebanon.

By World Israel News Staff

The United States announced Monday that implementation of its security framework between Israel and Lebanon had begun in three villages, marking the first operational phase of an agreement intended to disarm Hezbollah, expand Lebanese government control and eventually enable an Israeli withdrawal.

The initial operations are taking place in Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya under the supervision of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, according to the US State Department.

“Today, pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” the State Department said.

“This milestone is a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome,” it added. “The United States will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion.”

The announcement represented a shift from diplomacy to implementation following six rounds of direct, US-mediated negotiations between representatives of Israel and Lebanon, which do not maintain diplomatic relations and technically remain at war.

The State Department did not immediately provide a detailed description of the activities underway in each village or say whether Israeli troops had withdrawn from any positions as part of Monday’s operations.

Under the framework signed in Washington on June 26, the Lebanese Armed Forces are expected to establish exclusive control over designated areas, dismantle weapons and military infrastructure belonging to non-state organizations and prevent armed groups from operating there.

Once those steps have been verified, Israeli forces are to begin a gradual, conditions-based withdrawal from Lebanese territory while Lebanese troops deploy in their place.

The pilot areas are intended to test whether the process can be implemented before it is expanded to additional parts of southern Lebanon. The framework establishes the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon to manage deconfliction, verification and the sequencing of Lebanese deployments and Israeli troop movements.

The villages named Monday differ partially from locations discussed publicly during earlier stages of the negotiations. Previous reports identified Froun, Ghandouriyeh and areas around Zawtar as likely components of the initial project, while Srifa was among several additional communities considered during subsequent talks.

No comprehensive public map of the zones has been released.

Israeli and Lebanese delegations met at the US Embassy in Rome last Tuesday and Wednesday to settle the operational structure of the pilot-zone process.

A US official described the meetings as “productive and positive.”

“We agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days,” the official said after the talks.

The framework calls for the disarmament of terror organizations — chiefly Hezbollah — alongside the deployment of Lebanese government forces and the progressive withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Israel currently controls a buffer zone extending into parts of southern Lebanon. Israeli officials say the military presence is necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding positions close to the border and attacking northern Israeli communities.

Lebanon has demanded that Israel begin withdrawing immediately, while Israel has maintained that it will not relinquish territory until Hezbollah’s weapons and military infrastructure have been removed and the Lebanese army is capable of preventing the group’s return.

The beginning of the pilot operations came one day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington to discuss the framework.

Rubio praised what the State Department called the Lebanese government’s “determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hizballah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace.”

He also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment “to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework and to backing the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to deliver peace, economic recovery, and a better future for the Lebanese people.”

Aoun has sought additional US assistance for the Lebanese army and greater American pressure on Israel to begin withdrawing from the pilot areas. He is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

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