The Lebanese army deployed on Tuesday in a village in the south of the country after Israeli forces withdrew, marking the first step in a new U.S.-brokered plan to transfer control of occupied areas back to Beirut after months of war.
The troops began deploying in the village hours before President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon was scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House. The two leaders are expected to discuss the security situation in Lebanon, as well as efforts to secure Israel’s withdrawal from the Lebanese territory that it has occupied for months.
The deployment is part of a phased arrangement under which Israel would withdraw from areas in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese military would move in to secure them, allowing displaced residents to return. The areas, described as “pilot zones,” are meant to test a broader agreement reached last month between Lebanon and Israel to wind down the conflict.
In Lebanon, critics of the deal say it has not set a firm timetable for Israel’s withdrawal. Instead, the Israeli military’s retreat is tied to the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that the government does not control. Hezbollah was not party to the negotiations with Israel and has rejected the framework agreement.
The Lebanese army said in a statement on Tuesday that it had begun deploying to the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in the southern Nabatieh district. The army urged residents not to return until the security situation had stabilized and asked them to follow the instructions of troops on the ground.
The announcement was made hours after the Israeli military said that Israeli, American and Lebanese military teams were conducting joint planning and coordination to implement the agreement. As part of the deal reached last month, Israel and Lebanon also agreed to establish a military coordination group overseen by the United States.
The State Department said in a statement on Monday that the initial “pilot zone” operations would include the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, and were “a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome.” Israel and Lebanon have held rare diplomatic talks for months, meeting first in Washington and then in Rome.
Hezbollah has rejected the negotiations with Israel, as well as efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm the group, adding to uncertainty about the broader agreement, how it can be carried out and Lebanon’s fragile path toward stability.
The latest round of fighting erupted in early March after Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began in late February. More than 4,300 people have been killed in Lebanon and over 12,000 wounded in the latest conflict, according to Lebanese health officials. Israeli officials say at least four Israeli civilians and more than 30 soldiers have been killed.
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