Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrived this morning at Zouter al-Gharbiya, the first village in the pilot program under the framework agreement with Israel. The Lebanese army entered the village yesterday for the first time, according to reports.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited the village of Zouter al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning, planting the official Lebanese flag after IDF forces withdrew as part of the pilot withdrawal program under the framework agreement with Israel. The Lebanese army had entered the village for the first time on Tuesday, marking the first implementation of the pilot program. The visit and flag-raising were reported by Israeli media outlets and journalist Yair Goldberg on X.
The Zioneer's thread on the development, published at 09:17 Jerusalem, shows three reports converging on the same event: the PM's visit, the flag planting, and the army's entry the previous day. The pilot program, which aims to gradually transfer security responsibilities to the Lebanese army, has been under negotiation for weeks. As The Zioneer reported on July 21, the Lebanese army entered three pilot-zone villages, two outside the 'yellow line' and one straddling it. On July 17, The Zioneer reported that the US was expected to announce the pilot's official start, ahead of President Joseph Aoun's visit to Washington.
The Zioneer's background coverage has highlighted the complexities of the withdrawal process. On July 6, President Aoun told Al-Nahar that military contacts with Israel had advanced significantly, but insisted he would not meet Prime Minister Netanyahu as long as Israeli attacks continued. On July 12, The Zioneer reported that the Lebanese army refused direct coordination with the IDF and would not enter pilot zones before a full withdrawal — a condition that appears to have been set aside for this pilot. The IDF has maintained a presence in southern Lebanon, with Chief of Staff Zamir stating on June 21 that all military resources were allocated for a return to combat if needed.
It remains unclear whether the pilot program will expand to other villages, and the IDF has not issued an official statement on the withdrawal from Zouter al-Gharbiya. The broader security arrangement, including the status of Hezbollah forces in the area, remains unresolved.
3 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake