Lebanese troops have begun landing in a pilot zone in the south of the country following a withdrawal agreed with Israel under a United States‑brokered deal reached last month. Army officials said units entered the village of Zawtar al‑Gharbiyeh, in Nabatieh district, on Tuesday morning. Israeli forces confirmed that the pilot zone plan commenced the night before – allowing Israeli troops to pull out of a small sector of territory that had been occupied during their recent conflict with Hezbollah, and to begin disarming the Iran‑backed group.
The move comes ahead of a Washington meeting between President Donald Trump and Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun. Aoun is expected to urge Trump to push Israel to withdraw from the rest of southern Lebanon and to support the Lebanese army in asserting control over areas still dominated by Hezbollah.
Lebanon entered the conflict in March with Israel, the United States and Iran on 2 March after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel responded with an extensive bombing campaign across the country and a land invasion that captured large parts of the south.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 4,300 people have been killed in the country, including roughly 800 children, women and medics. On both sides, 37 Israeli soldiers and four civilians have died since the hostilities began.
