Implementation of the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon has begun, with the Lebanese army deploying in the first pilot zone north of the security belt established by the IDF.
The pilot area lies near the villages of Faroun and Randouria, two Shiite communities in the Bint Jbeil region of southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Army
(Photo: LEBANESE ARMY PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
Israeli forces were not previously stationed in the first zone. The IDF is now preparing for the transfer of a second pilot area where Israeli troops are currently deployed.
An official announcement marking the launch of the pilot program is expected Sunday, ahead of the Lebanese president’s visit to Washington later this week.
The villages near the deployment zone are located in a strategically important area north of the Yellow Line and close to Wadi Saluki and the Litani River. Because of their location, they were major battlefields during the 2006 Second Lebanon War and in the current conflict.
Under the framework agreement, the Lebanese army is to gradually assume “full and effective security responsibility” in designated pilot zones.
The agreement states that the zones will serve as a mechanism for the phased and verified redeployment of the IDF and the gradual deployment of Lebanese army forces.
The first two pilot areas have already been agreed upon by the IDF and the Lebanese military, while additional zones are to be designated by mutual consent.
During U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome this week, participants discussed deploying Italian troops to monitor the removal of weapons and Hezbollah terrorists from the area.
Another proposal called for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, to oversee the process. Both Israel and the United States strongly opposed that option.
Israeli representatives said the IDF must be responsible for verifying whether the pilot succeeds in areas from which Israeli forces withdraw. Lebanese officials argued that their army should control the territory and conduct the inspections itself.
After Israel rejected the idea of UNIFIL entering areas vacated by the IDF, the possibility of Italian supervision was raised.
Israeli security officials said the proposal was under consideration by the parties.