After two days of US-brokered talks in Rome, Lebanon and Israel moved toward implementing pilot zones in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces would withdraw and hand over control to the Lebanese army. This was reported on Wednesday by the US State Department.
What was agreed?
The most recent war between Israel and Hezbollah broke out when the Lebanese group launched rockets into Israeli territory days after Tel Aviv and Washington began their conflict against Iran on February 28. Since then, Israel has occupied a wide swath of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah opposes direct negotiations.
The State Department statement called the talks “productive” and noted that the parties “agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zones process, which will be finalized and implemented in the coming days.” So far, neither Lebanon nor Israel have officially declared the result.
Pilot zones and controversy
Both countries signed a “framework agreement” on June 26, which outlines the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and steps towards a future peace agreement. The plan would begin with two pilot zones where the Israeli army would cede control to the Lebanese, which would clear those areas of Hezbollah presence. However, implementation had stalled.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun — who will visit Washington on July 21 — instructed his delegation in Rome “to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two pilot zones before any further discussions.”
The zones generated controversy because Israeli troops were not present in much of the selected area, which questioned how a withdrawal could occur. The Lebanese army was seeking larger areas that included more occupied territory.
The State Department indicated that after implementing the pilot zones, it will move on to “expanded technical talks… with the goal of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”
Reactions
Hezbollah and Iran had attempted to link the end of the Lebanese conflict to broader talks between the US and Iran. The Lebanese government sought to separate both paths to negotiate a direct ceasefire with Israel. The armed group has declared that it will not abide by the agreement or disarm. Israeli officials, for their part, plan a prolonged occupation of southern Lebanon.
In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump said he wants to see Israel withdraw from Lebanon and southern Syria, or “reposition” its forces.
“Southern Syria and parts of Lebanon, yes, it would be good to get out, I think, and I think you could see things calm down a little bit,” Trump said, adding: “We have to focus our energy on the big leagues. The big leagues are Iran.”
Trump also repeated his proposal that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa send forces to Lebanon to “deal with” Hezbollah. Al-Sharaa has said that Syria wants to stay out of the regional war and will not intervene militarily in Lebanon.
