Israeli Military Begins Coordination with Lebanese Arm in Southern Lebanon Pilot Zones

The Israeli military has begun coordinating their actions with the Lebanese arm in the so-called pilot zones in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

"In accordance with the directives from the [Israeli] political echelon, the ‘Safe Zone’ pilot program began today (Monday) in southern Lebanon, in cooperation with the U.S. military (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Armed Forces. As part of the pilot, teams from the IDF, the U.S. military, and the Lebanese Armed Forces are conducting coordination and planning for the continued implementation of the agreement," it said.

The agreement mentioned by the IDF envisages the beginning of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. The IDF provided no details of the withdrawal process but warned that it would "respond forcefully to any violation of the agreement."

The US Department of State said earlier in the day that three pilot zones have come into effect in Lebanon.

Following five round of US-brokered consultation in Washington, Lebanon and Israel signed, on June 26, a framework agreement, under which the Lebanese military is to gradually restore effective sovereign control over the entire Lebanese territory while Israel is to withdraw its troops of the occupied areas.