US delegation meets Lebanese army to plan Israel's pullout from pilot zones

A U.S. military delegation arrived in Beirut and began talks with the Lebanese armed forces on how to implement the June 26 framework agreement that calls for Israel’s gradual withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The discussions focused on establishing a mechanism for the first of two designated “pilot zones,” which would be placed under full Lebanese army control. U.S. ambassador Michel Issa told President Joseph Aoun the team came to “determine the mechanism” for the deal, while Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett reported that Hezbollah “has maintained its opposition to those direct talks… preferring a cease‑fire between the US and Iran.”

Hezbollah has rejected the agreement and vowed continued resistance, and Israel has said its forces will remain in a 10‑km “security zone” until Hezbollah is disarmed. Israeli strikes this week hit southern Lebanese towns, injuring seven people in the coastal village of al‑Mansouri.

The United Nations OCHA notes that the cease‑fire has enabled more than 732,000 displaced people to return home, though about 430,000 remain displaced. The next round of Lebanon‑Israel talks is scheduled for Rome, with Lebanon’s participation conditioned on Israel’s pullout from the pilot zones. President Aoun is expected to visit Washington later this month at the invitation of the U.S. president.