Lebanon deploys army as Israel begins gradual withdrawal from south

The Lebanese army has deployed in the southern village of Zawtar al Gharbiya, the first of three "pilot zones" under a U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, marking the initial phase of Israel's gradual withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.

What happened

• Lebanese troops entered Zawtar al Gharbiya on July 21, while Israeli forces began pulling back from the area, overseen by a trilateral military coordination group including the U.S. Source: El Confidencial Source: La Vanguardia. The deployment was accompanied by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam planting a Lebanese flag in the village, declaring it "the beginning" and vowing to pursue a "complete Israeli withdrawal" Source: Excélsior.
• The pilot zone plan was part of a framework signed in June by Lebanon, Israel, and the U.S., which conditions further Israeli withdrawal on the verified disarmament of Hezbollah Source: Infobae.

Political moves

• Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on July 21, the first such visit in nearly 20 years. Trump promised to "help a lot" and left open the possibility of talking to Hezbollah, saying, "I talk to everyone" Source: ABC. Aoun presented a plan to dismantle Hezbollah's arsenal Source: La Vanguardia.
• Italy announced a new round of Lebanon-Israel negotiations on August 4 in Rome Source: Diario Libre.

Challenges and tensions

• Despite the progress, the Israeli military fired near Lebanese troops during their deployment, which the Lebanese army said "will hinder the implementation of deployment measures" Source: El Confidencial. Trump said he would investigate the incident.
• About 4,328 people have been killed and 12,229 wounded in Lebanon since March Source: El Día. The destruction in the south is extensive; many villages remain uninhabitable, and tens of thousands of displaced people cannot yet return Source: El País.