Lebanese army units began deploying on Tuesday to the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, the first of three “pilot zones” designated under a US-mediated framework signed in June between Lebanon and Israel. The move, confirmed by Lebanese military sources and the US State Department, follows an Israeli force adjustment in the area and coincides with a visit to Washington by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump later in the day.

According to a Lebanese army statement, the deployment is based on coordination with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon and aims to stabilise the security situation. The army renewed its call for residents not to enter the town until clearance operations are complete. The mayor of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Abed Ezzeldine, told international news agencies that more than half the town has been destroyed and the remaining homes are severely damaged, leaving it uninhabitable. He also expressed concern that Israeli forces remain in the adjacent village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, a five-minute walk away, undermining any sense of safety. The Israeli military said it would “adjust its force posture in one of the pilot areas” to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to carry out their mission, describing the pilot as a test of the army’s sovereignty as the sole authority authorised to bear arms in the area.

The US State Department announced that pilot zone operations had begun in three villages—Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh—under the Trilateral Framework. However, Lebanese and Israeli sources note that Israeli forces were not present in Froun and Srifa, where the Lebanese army already maintained a presence, and had only controlled the outskirts of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh. A senior US official, quoted by Axios, said the Lebanese army would be responsible for clearing the zones of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure and securing them against future military use. The official framed the pilot as an opportunity for the Lebanese state to “begin to reassert real control in areas historically dominated by Hezbollah.” The Iran-aligned group, through its media outlets, has rejected the agreement and refuses to disarm, while Israeli officials have voiced scepticism about Lebanon’s capacity to enforce the terms.

The pilot zone mechanism is the first operational test of the June framework, which envisages a phased Israeli withdrawal from a roughly 10-kilometre-deep strip of southern Lebanon in exchange for the Lebanese army disarming Hezbollah in those areas. The latest round of fighting erupted in March when Hezbollah launched rockets in support of Iran following US and Israeli strikes, and a ceasefire was reached last month. Dozens of villages in the border region have been razed, and tens of thousands of residents remain displaced. Viewed from Washington, the pilot zones are intended to build confidence and create momentum for a broader process, though US officials acknowledge that verification procedures for the clearance of Hezbollah weapons are still under negotiation. Israeli and US sources indicate that a significant acceleration of the withdrawal and progress toward a lasting peace deal are unlikely before Israeli elections in October.