{"id":122264,"date":"2026-07-21T20:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T20:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/?p=122264"},"modified":"2026-07-21T20:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T20:26:08","slug":"israel-announces-the-launch-of-the-pilot-phase-of-the-safe-zone-project-in-southern-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/israel-announces-the-launch-of-the-pilot-phase-of-the-safe-zone-project-in-southern-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Announces the Launch of the Pilot Phase of the Safe Zone Project in Southern Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Launch of the Pilot Phase of the Safe Zone Project in Southern Lebanon Amid U.S. Coordination<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Israeli military announced yesterday, Monday, the launch of the pilot phase of the Safe Zone Project in southern Lebanon, in coordination with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Army, in a step that comes as part of implementing the U.S.-backed framework agreement aimed at reorganizing the security situation in the south.<\/p>\n

The Israeli military explained that this phase includes field coordination and joint planning between the Israeli and U.S. forces and the Lebanese Army, with the aim of completing the implementation of the provisions of the agreement, while emphasizing that it will deal “firmly” with any violation that may occur during the course of the operation.<\/p>\n

In the same context, an Israeli military source revealed that the army will make adjustments to its deployment in one of the pilot areas in southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese Army to carry out its security duties, while stressing that these steps will be implemented in a manner that ensures the security of Israeli forces and preserves what it described as “Israel’s right to self-defense and the removal of threats.”<\/p>\n

The source added, in statements reported by Agence France-Presse, that this phase represents a test of the Lebanese Army’s ability to impose its sovereignty in the villages covered by the project, as the only official authority authorized to bear arms in those areas, referring to the towns of Froun, Srifa, and Western Zawtar.<\/p>\n

The concept of the pilot safe zone is based on allocating areas in southern Lebanon where the provisions of the agreement calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces will be implemented, in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese Army and its assumption of security responsibility in these areas.<\/p>\n

A U.S.-Sponsored Agreement and a Test for the Future of Southern Lebanon<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The United States had previously announced the launch of the “Pilot Zones” project in southern Lebanon, based on the framework agreement signed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments last June, following a new round of negotiations hosted by the Italian capital, Rome, under U.S. sponsorship.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of State confirmed in a statement that work on the pilot zones had begun in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Western Zawtar, in accordance with the trilateral framework agreement and under the supervision of the Lebanon Military Coordination Group.<\/p>\n

The framework agreement dates back to June 26, after the Lebanese and Israeli sides reached it following five rounds of negotiations. It includes key provisions covering the disarmament of Hezbollah, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the areas they advanced into in southern Lebanon, in addition to the deployment of the Lebanese Army, beginning with two pilot areas representing the first phase of implementation.<\/p>\n

In this context, a U.S. official stated that the project represents an opportunity for the Lebanese state to regain effective control over areas where Hezbollah has enjoyed broad influence for years, considering that the success of this step will constitute a test of the official institutions’ ability to impose their authority in the south.<\/p>\n

The U.S. official warned that any attempt by Hezbollah to obstruct the implementation of the agreement, redeploy within those areas, or resume rearmament activities could cause significant harm to the prospects for reconstruction and the establishment of stability and peace in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Despite this, the framework agreement does not include a clear timetable for completing the Israeli withdrawal, at a time when Tel Aviv continues to assert, through its officials, that its forces will not withdraw from the security zone extending ten kilometers into southern Lebanon until the implementation of Hezbollah’s disarmament is verified, which analysts believe represents a major challenge for the Lebanese state amid the existing political and security complexities.<\/p>\n

On the ground, the Lebanese Army announced that it has, since last week, begun reinforcing its deployment in the area by intensifying military patrols in the towns of Froun and Srifa as part of preparations for implementing the agreement, while Israeli forces remain stationed on the outskirts of the town of Western Zawtar, where they are conducting field operations that include advancing to carry out specific demolitions before withdrawing once again from the positions in which they operate.<\/p>\n

United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n

An independent media platform providing reliable news and objective analysis, striving to promote peace and intercultural dialogue around the world, to convey the truth and build bridges of understanding among peoples.<\/p>\n

For more news, you can visit our homepage:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/un-news.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Author:<\/strong> Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi.<\/p>\n

Publication Date:<\/strong> July 21, 2026.<\/p>\n

Last Updated: July 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Launch of the Pilot Phase of the Safe Zone Project in Southern Lebanon Amid U.S. Coordination The Israeli military announced yesterday, Monday, the launch of the pilot phase of the Safe Zone Project in southern Lebanon, in coordination with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Army, in a step that comes as part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"tmauthors":[74],"class_list":{"0":"post-122264","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122264"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122266,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122264\/revisions\/122266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122264"},{"taxonomy":"tmauthors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tmauthors?post=122264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}