The Lebanese army announced Tuesday morning that its units have begun deploying in the village of Zoutar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, after the IDF withdrew as part of the pilot phase of the withdrawal agreement. The army called on civilians not to approach the area until the security situation stabilizes, according to reports cited by Israeli media.
The Lebanese army officially announced at 09:54 Jerusalem on Tuesday that its units have deployed in Zoutar al-Gharbiya after the IDF withdrew, and called on civilians to stay away until the security situation stabilizes. The announcement follows a morning of incremental reports: at 09:38, Lebanese media reported that troops had entered an unnamed village; at 09:45, The Zioneer reported that the army was positioning in Zoutar and scanning for explosives. It is the first confirmed Lebanese army entry into a village under the pilot phase of the Israel-Lebanon withdrawal agreement.
The pilot was announced by the IDF on Monday evening, with the military saying it would withdraw from two enclaves including Zoutar al-Gharbiya, part of a three-village test of Lebanese army sovereignty. Coordination with the US military (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Armed Forces was central to the plan. By Monday night, Lebanese military sources told Nidaa al-Watan that preparations were complete and the ball was in Israel's court. The current deployment follows the Lebanese prime minister's statement on July 1 that the IDF would withdraw from Zoutar within days, as The Zioneer reported.
The broader withdrawal agreement, signed in late June, aims to replace Hezbollah forces with the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon. The pilot is designed to test the mechanism before a wider rollout. The Zioneer has previously reported on IDF advances in the area, including artillery strikes on Zoutar in June, and the Lebanese army's earlier withdrawal from Kfar Tebnit during the ground offensive.
It remains unclear whether the withdrawal will extend to the other two pilot villages—Froun and Srifa—in the coming hours. The IDF has not issued a separate statement confirming the pullback, though it had announced the planned withdrawal earlier. The Lebanese army's warning to civilians suggests the area may still contain unexploded ordnance.
21 developments
- DevelopingIDF begins pilot withdrawal from southern Lebanon zones
- DevelopingIDF launches pilot program in Lebanon after agreement signing, reserve general urges tough stance
- StrongLebanese army: IDF gunfire near our troops in Zawtar al-Gharbiya could delay pilot withdrawal
- StrongIDF publishes official map of southern Lebanon security zone, says forces deployed 10 km inside
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