The Israeli army's plan to withdraw from designated "trial zones" in southern Lebanon has been postponed until a joint oversight mechanism is established between the parties. Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported the delay on July 1, 2026, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The trial zones in question were identified as part of the framework agreement signed between Beirut and Tel Aviv on June 26, 2026. The agreement envisions a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces and the handover of areas to the Lebanese army. The Lebanese army will assume full responsibility for the zones after it verifies that non-state armed groups have been disarmed and their infrastructure dismantled.
Which areas are meant?
Although the agreement text does not directly specify certain areas, the Israeli press claimed that the army had identified the villages from which it would withdraw. Haaretz newspaper, citing military sources, named three villages: Froun and Ghandouriye in the Bint Jbeil district south of the Litani River, and Zawtar el Gharbiya in the Nabatieh district north of the river. The newspaper claimed that the Israeli army has not permanently deployed in Zawtar and Zawtar el Gharbiya, but has taken positions in Froun and Ghandouriye. The same report said the army does not have actual control over these three towns and has carried out intermittent operations on the recommendation of the Northern Command to circumvent the ceasefire terms.
On the other hand, Al Jazeera's Beirut bureau director Mazen Ibrahim said Lebanese officials did not state that Froun and Zawtar el Gharbiya were among the initial trial zones for the Israeli army's withdrawal. Ibrahim reported that the Lebanese delegation, which negotiated with the Israeli delegation in Washington, emphasized that the definition of "trial zones" was based on occupied areas from which the Israeli army withdraws and which the Lebanese army enters.
How did Israel justify the delay?
Israel's public broadcaster linked the postponement of the handover of the villages to the Lebanese army to the condition of first establishing a strict oversight mechanism. It argued that this mechanism should, in addition to ensuring Lebanese control, proactively prohibit the armed presence of Hezbollah, meaning it must go beyond the mere deployment of regular Lebanese forces in the area.
