{"id":1736,"date":"2026-07-16T04:36:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1736"},"modified":"2026-07-16T04:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:36:58","slug":"lebanon-and-israel-move-toward-implementing-withdrawal-agreement-us-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1736","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon and Israel move toward implementing withdrawal agreement, US officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BEIRUT (AP) \u2014 After two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome, Lebanon<\/span> and Israel took steps toward implementing \u201cpilot zones\u201d in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would withdraw and turn over control to the Lebanese army, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began when the Lebanese militant group fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. Israel invaded Lebanon and has since occupied a large swathe of the country\u2019s south. Hezbollah has been vehemently opposed to the direct Lebanon-Israel talks.<\/p>\n

The State Department said in a statement that the talks were \u201cproductive\u201d and the parties \u201cagreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no immediate statement from Lebanon or Israel on the outcome of the negotiations.<\/p>\n

Lebanon and Israel announced a \u201cframework agreement\u201d<\/span> on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries \u2014 which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel\u2019s establishment. <\/p>\n

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The deal was supposed to begin with two \u201cpilot zones\u201d where the Israeli military is to turn over control to the Lebanese army, which would clear the areas of any Hezbollah presence. However, implementation on the ground had stalled ahead of this week\u2019s talks. <\/p>\n

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is slated to visit Washington on July 21, said in a statement ahead of the Rome talks that instructions had been given to the Lebanese delegation \u201cto demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two pilot zones before any further discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Wednesday\u2019s statement did not specify where the pilot zones would be, but Lebanese and Israeli officials previously said they would include the towns of Froun, Ghandouriyeh and Zawtar. <\/p>\n

The designated zones generated some controversy in Lebanon because Israeli troops were not present in most of the selected area to begin with, raising questions about how a withdrawal could take place. The Lebanese army had pushed for pilot zones that were larger and included more area occupied by Israeli forces.<\/p>\n

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The State Department said Wednesday that following implementation of the pilot zones, \u201cwe will move to expanded technical talks … with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon.<\/p>\n

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