The Lebanese Armed Forces have begun security deployments in three villages along the border with Israel. The move took place under the trilateral framework agreement signed on June 26 between Lebanon, Israel and the United States, with US mediation.
The US State Department announced that operations in the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya were launched "under the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Lebanese Military Coordination Group." Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the step as a "direct result" of the Israel-Lebanon talks held in Rome last week.
The signed framework agreement envisages Israel's phased withdrawal from its positions in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army assuming sole security responsibility in the vacated areas. The Lebanese army will also be responsible for documenting that these areas have been cleared of the weapons and military infrastructure of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, however, rejected the framework, arguing that any security arrangement in Lebanon should be tied to broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The group has not yet indicated whether it will oppose the deployment in the designated villages.
The agreement does not include a firm timeline for Israel's withdrawal. Israeli officials said their forces would remain in a 10-kilometer "security zone" along the border as long as Hezbollah maintains its armed presence.
A Lebanese military source told AFP that the army has intensified patrols in several villages, including Froun, adjacent to areas still under Israeli control. The implementation in the three pilot areas aims to test the process before expanding it to other areas along the Litani River.
These developments come ahead of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday. The framework is taking shape after the fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, while Israel continues to carry out occasional airstrikes and controlled demolitions in villages near the border under its control.
