July 20 (Reuters) – The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun a pilot programme for safe zones in southern Lebanon in cooperation with U.S. and Lebanese forces, in what a U.S. official called a step toward reasserting Lebanese state authority in the area.
The pilot zones are designated areas in southern Lebanon where a U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon signed last month foresees Iran-backed Hezbollah’s disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of Lebanese troops.
The Israeli military said teams from the three militaries were coordinating and planning the implementation of the agreement, and warned that it would respond forcefully to any violation.
The Lebanese army said on Monday its units were continuing their missions in the southern villages of Froun and Srifa and were coordinating with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, to begin deploying in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli forces withdraw. The coordination group is a U.S.-facilitated trilateral body created under the framework agreement to support its implementation.
The Lebanese army urged residents not to enter Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh and to follow the instructions of troops deployed in the area.
A U.S. official, in comments shared with reporters on condition of anonymity, said the establishment of the initial pilot zones represented progress on the ground and an opportunity for the Lebanese state to begin reasserting control in areas historically dominated by Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army would be responsible for clearing the zones of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure, conducting verified clearance operations and securing the areas so the group could not continue using the communities as cover for attacks, the official said.
The official said Washington expected all parties to respect the process and warned that any attempt by Hezbollah to derail it, infiltrate the zones or rearm there would harm prospects for reconstruction and peace.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El Din, Tala Ramadan and Simon Lewis; Writing by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
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