US Team Begins Talks on Israeli Withdrawal From Southern Lebanon
BEIRUT-A U.S. military delegation has begun talks with Lebanon’s armed forces on implementing the first phase of an agreement providing for an Israeli troop withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon, a Lebanese military official said on Saturday, as Washington moves to advance a framework reached last month.
The discussions in Beirut focus on arrangements for the first of two designated “pilot zones,” where Israeli forces are expected to withdraw and the Lebanese army will assume responsibility for security under the June 26 framework agreement.
A Lebanese military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the American delegation had started meetings with the Lebanese army command to determine the operational mechanisms for Israel’s withdrawal from the first pilot zone and the subsequent deployment of Lebanese troops.
The official described the implementation of the framework agreement as the principal objective of the U.S. delegation’s visit, saying the meetings were intended to translate the agreement into practical steps on the ground.
The framework provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from areas of southern Lebanon occupied during its military campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Under the arrangement, the Lebanese army, which has historically had limited authority in the south, would take full control of two small areas designated as pilot zones.
Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa informed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that an American military delegation would arrive in Beirut to establish mechanisms for implementing the agreement.
A U.S. official in Washington, speaking anonymously, said the process had entered the implementation stage. The official said the first pilot zone was expected to become operational within days and that planning for additional pilot zones was already underway.
According to the U.S. official, U.S. Central Command will coordinate implementation of the pilot zones with both Israel and Lebanon.
The agreement has been rejected by Hezbollah, which opposes the arrangement. It also does not specify a timetable for Israel’s complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Israeli officials have said their forces will remain within a security zone extending approximately 10 kilometers (six miles) into southern Lebanon for as long as Hezbollah retains its weapons.
Despite the framework agreement, Israeli forces have continued conducting intermittent strikes in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported additional Israeli strikes in the south on Saturday.
Lebanon and Israel, which do not maintain diplomatic relations, have nevertheless held five rounds of negotiations since the conflict began. Another round of talks is scheduled to take place in Rome on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
Lebanese officials have made participation in those discussions conditional on Israel completing its withdrawal from the two pilot zones outlined in the framework agreement.
The negotiations come ahead of an expected visit by President Aoun to Washington later this month at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, where regional security issues are expected to feature prominently in bilateral discussions.
