Lebanon’s military starts ‘pilot zone’ takeover in south

Three villages will trial the implementation of the trilateral framework agreement between Israel, Lebanon and the US.The Lebanese army is set to take charge of security in three “pilot zone” villages in southern Lebanon, according to the United States.The villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya were named by the US State Department on Monday as the first areas that will trial the implementation of the US-mediated framework agreement.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Who is Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s newly elected political chief?list 2 of 3Burnham’s move to scrap UK’s digital ID plans earns cheers and criticismlist 3 of 3Petro to give farewell speech amid Colombia transfer-of-power tensionsend of listUnder the plan, the Israeli military is set to perform a phased retreat from the locations it occupies in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese military will then take over security arrangements and oversee the disarmament of the armed Hezbollah group.“This milestone is a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome,” the State Department said in a statement. It added that the US “will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion”.Lebanon, Israel and the US agreed to the framework on June 26, after six rounds of face-to-face negotiations. However, Israel continues to carry out attacks in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires rockets into northern Israel.Iran-backed Hezbollah has rejected the agreement, demanding that Israel, which enjoys US support, must leave Lebanon unconditionally.The deal would see the Lebanese Armed Forces assume security over areas that Israel has left, and be required to prove that they have been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure.Questions over timingDespite the US statement, questions over the timing of the departure of Israeli forces persisted on Monday.