The Israeli army announced on Monday the commencement of the pilot phase for the Safe Zone Project in Southern Lebanon, in collaboration with the U.S. Central Command and the Lebanese army.
The report stated that "as part of this pilot phase, teams from the Israeli army, the U.S. army, and the Lebanese army are conducting coordination and planning operations to continue the agreement's implementation. The Israeli army will strongly confront any breach of this agreement."
The Israeli army also declared it would make adjustments to its positions "in one of the test areas in Southern Lebanon, to enable the Lebanese army to perform its mission," according to a statement by the French news agency quoting an Israeli military source.
The Israeli military source noted that the adjustments will be made "while maintaining the security of Israeli soldiers and preserving their right to self-defense and threat elimination."
This step "constitutes a test of the Lebanese army's ability to assert its sovereignty in the three concerned villages, as the sole official authority authorized to bear arms in the area," referring to the villages of Faroun, Srifa, and Western Zotr.
The pilot safe zone comprises areas in Southern Lebanon under a U.S.-supported agreement between Lebanon and Israel, stipulating the disarmament of Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the deployment of Lebanese forces there.
The U.S. had announced earlier on Monday the initiation of "orientational areas" in Southern Lebanon under a framework agreement reached by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in June, following days of a new negotiation round between the parties in Rome, under the auspices of Washington.
A statement from the U.S. State Department read: "Today marks the start of orientational operations in the villages of Faroun, Srifa, and Western Zotr, in line with the trilateral framework agreement and under the oversight of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon."
On June 26, Lebanon and Israel reached a framework agreement after five negotiation rounds, primarily concerning the disarmament of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of Israel from territories penetrated in Southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army's deployment beginning in "two pilot areas."
An American official stated, "This is an opportunity for the Lebanese state to start reclaiming effective control over areas historically dominated by Hezbollah."
He added that "any attempt by Hezbollah to disrupt this process, infiltrate these areas, or re-arm there could severely damage reconstruction and peace prospects."
The framework agreement does not specify a timeline for withdrawal, while Israeli officials repeatedly suggest that their troops will not withdraw from a "security zone" stretching ten kilometers from its borders until Hezbollah's disarmament, a step analysts doubt the Lebanese state can achieve.
The Lebanese army reported Monday that it began intensifying its patrol deployments in the towns of Faroun and Srifa since last week, while the Israeli army remains on the outskirts of Western Zotr, advancing to conduct explosions before retreating.