Israel will begin withdrawing from the first pilot zone in southern Lebanon on July 21, an Israeli official told Axios on Monday, nearly four weeks after the US-mediated framework introduced the mechanism.
The US State Department separately claimed that operations have begun in the towns of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya under a military coordination group overseeing Israeli withdrawals, Lebanese Army deployments, and the removal of non-state weapons and infrastructure.
Previous US and Israeli statements had put the first pullback days away, but implementation stalled over the sequence of Israeli redeployment, Lebanese Army access, and verification of Hezbollah’s disarmament. Talks in Rome on July 14 and 15 reportedly established operational guidelines for the process.
Lebanon is now expected to propose additional pilot zones covering Zawtar Al-Sharqiya, Arnoun, Beaufort (Shqif) Castle, Kfar Tebnit, and Yuhmor, along with an Israeli withdrawal from Al-Bayada toward Naqoura, local media reported, citing unnamed sources.
The expected pullback coincides with President Joseph Aoun’s Washington visit, where he discussed the framework with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He is also scheduled to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Lebanon and Israel signed the “framework agreement” on June 26, establishing pilot zones where the Lebanese Army would assume control after armed groups are disarmed and their infrastructure dismantled. The agreement sets no timetable for a full Israeli withdrawal.
Israel still says it will retain its roughly 10-kilometer security zone as long as Hezbollah remains armed, while the group’s officials, including Secretary General Naim Qassem, insist they will never disarm.
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