IDF troops to withdraw from Lebanon pilot zone in coming days, says US official

The withdrawal of Israeli troops from the first of two pilot zones in southern Lebanon is slated to move ahead in the coming days, a US official tells The Times of Israel, as Washington aims to advance negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

As part of a framework agreement Israel and Lebanon signed last month in Washington, Jerusalem agreed to withdraw its troops from two small areas in southern Lebanon that have been cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure, to be replaced by members of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

However, two weeks have passed since that agreement and Israeli forces still remain in both of the areas that have been deemed the pilot zones.

While the US scheduled the next round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon for next week in Rome, where the sides would build on the framework deal, Beirut stated that it would not attend until Israel completed the agreed-upon withdrawal, an Arab official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

US pressure has led to some, albeit limited, progress in coaxing Israel to move ahead with withdrawing from the pilot zones.

“The first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days, and further pilot zones are being mapped out and planned. CENTCOM is coordinating with both countries to move forward,” the US official says.

The Arab official says CENTCOM will begin by declaring the first pilot zone ready for LAF deployment, after which the IDF will pull out.

No exact timeline is given for when that first withdrawal will take place beyond “the coming days.” The timeline for the withdrawal from the second pilot zone is even less clear.

Nonetheless, progress toward the first withdrawal is thought to be enough to convince Lebanon to send a negotiating team to Rome next Wednesday and Thursday.

“Rome is a closed discussion that will enable the governments to hand off to technical teams, which will work on all issues outlined in the framework,” the US official says.

“We will soon begin outreach to international partners to help the Lebanese government effectively restore sovereignty in these (pilot) zones and across their country more broadly,” the US official adds, suggesting that the international community will be called on to help stabilize Lebanon either through money or the deployment of peacekeeping troops.