• Israel’s military says a pilot program to establish “safe zones” in southern Lebanon has begun in coordination with the US and Lebanese army. This comes as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun prepares to meet Trump in Washington, DC.

Israeli forces carry out large demolition in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that Israeli forces carried out a large demolition in the town of Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon.

At the same time, intermittent Israeli artillery shelling targeted the nearby town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, it said.

Lebanon’s military starts ‘pilot zone’ takeover in south

The Lebanese army is set to take charge of security in three “pilot zone” villages in southern Lebanon, according to Washington.

The US State Department said the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar el-Gharbiya will be the first areas to trial the implementation of the US-mediated framework agreement.

Under the plan, the Israeli military is set to perform a phased retreat from the locations it occupies in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese military will then take over security arrangements and oversee the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Myth versus reality of southern Lebanon’s pilot zones

In theory, these pilot zones were initially described as areas where the Israeli army would withdraw from. The Lebanese army would then be deployed to make sure that they remain clear of Hezbollah weapons and fighters.

But in practice, the three areas named are not ones that the Israeli army has full control over. In fact, Israeli forces never even entered Froon and Srifa. And so instead of the pilot zones being a test of Israeli withdrawal, what they have become, is in fact, a test for the Lebanese army’s ability to clear these areas on its own.

One of the sticking points has been that the Israelis reportedly want to be directly involved in verifying whether the Lebanese army has done its job. And that is one of many things that have led to skepticism among the Lebanese; that the withdrawal process will be subject to delays and, in fact, could take years.

This announcement that the pilot zones would begin on Monday initially came from the US State Department, but local sources on the ground have said that little has changed. A security source said that the Lebanese army hasn’t started deploying, and the reason for that is that the Israeli military is still present on the outskirts of town, that they occupy.

Lebanese return to ‘pilot zone’ villages they say Israel never occupied

Dozens of displaced residents have begun to return to villages in southern Lebanon, as Israel, Lebanon, and the United States announced on Monday that the so-called “pilot zone” project had begun.

The US said the village of Froun was one of three villages that were part of the first phase of the pilot zone plan, while the neighboring village of Ghandouriyeh is believed to be in the second phase.

But some locals have questioned the villages’ inclusion in the plan, saying they were never occupied by Israeli forces. To them, the inclusion of their villages is evidence that Israel is in fact not giving anything up despite the framework agreement, and is instead able to remain in the areas it has occupied.

Lebanese security sources back up that narrative, telling Al Jazeera that the two villages had not been occupied by Israeli forces.

Lebanese troops deploy to southern town following Israeli pull-out

The Lebanese army says its soldiers have begun deploying in the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the sector as part of a US-mediated agreement.

“The army command renews its call for citizens not to head to the town until the security situation stabilizes, and to adhere to the directives of the deployed military units for their own safety,” it said in a statement.

There has been no immediate comment from Israel.

Earlier, the US State Department said Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh is among three southern areas set to trial the implementation of the US-mediated deal.

Under the agreement, the Israeli military will carry out a phased withdrawal from the locations it occupies in southern Lebanon, after which the Lebanese military will take over security arrangements and oversee the disarmament of Hezbollah.

The other two villages are Froun and Srifa.

Some locals have questioned their inclusion in the plan, saying the villages were never occupied by Israeli forces.

Lebanon’s Aoun to meet Trump at White House

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Washington, DC, for a meeting with Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as diplomatic efforts focus on security arrangements in southern Lebanon.

The talks will take place during discussions over proposed “pilot zones” under which Israeli forces would withdraw from parts of southern Lebanon and Lebanon’s military would move in. The proposal is aimed at strengthening the Lebanese government’s control over the country’s security.

Rubio said the US wants Lebanon’s government to become the sole authority responsible for security.

Israel carries out ‘large bombing’ in southern Lebanon

The official National News Agency says the bombing took place in the town of Kfar Tebnit, southeast of Nabatieh city.

Israelis have ‘upper hand’ in agreement with Lebanese army

Three towns were designated as the first phase of this so-called pilot zone project. Only one of them the Israeli army has a presence in, and that is Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where the Lebanese army is now starting to deploy units.

Engineering units have entered the town to start clearing the area of unexploded ordnance. This is going to be a long process because the Israeli army occupied dozens of villages across southern Lebanon; Zawtar al-Gharbiya is just one of them.

This is basically a test case, a test case for the Lebanese army. The Israeli army is going to decide whether the Lebanese army is doing its job to clear the area of Hezbollah fighters and weapons.

The other two towns that have been mentioned are not under Israeli occupation. Yes, Israeli drones fly over those towns. They control them by fire, but they also fly over Beirut.

It is very clear that the Israeli army has the upper hand in this agreement.

On July 2, 2026, Aoun defended the framework as an arrangement that safeguards Lebanon's sovereignty. However, the framework is written in a way that entirely benefits the Israelis, not the Lebanese government. The effective outcome emerge in the reality on ground:

"This is basically a test case, a test case for the Lebanese army. The Israeli army is going to decide whether the Lebanese army is doing its job to clear the area of Hezbollah fighters and weapons."

See comment at the beginning of this page.

Lebanon’s Aoun to push for Israel’s withdrawal during Trump meeting in US

The Lebanese president has been touting US support for Beirut in its push to secure Israel’s withdrawal through negotiations while also ensuring that Hezbollah is stripped of its weapons.

While Aoun’s critics argued that the Lebanese government has no leverage to bring to the negotiating table, the Lebanese government has been relying on Trump’s goodwill as the guarantor of any agreement.

Aoun’s office said it seeks to translate Washington’s interest in Lebanon into concrete support for the Lebanese military and economy.

So Aoun will be looking to enlist the staunchly pro-Israel Trump administration as a backer for his agenda during his meeting with the US president today.

At the heart of Aoun’s approach is the trilateral framework between Lebanon, Israel and the US, which has been fiercely rejected by Hezbollah.

Explosions heard in southern Lebanon while Israeli forces maintain occupation

At one of the entrances to Qaqaiyat Al Jisr in southern Lebanon, you can see the Lebanese army as some units have already entered the town. They’re trying to clear it from unexploded ordinances because there are mines everywhere, this is what one soldier told me.

Family members are waiting to be able to enter their town, but nobody is under the illusion that they’re going to stay there because there’s been so much destruction, and there are no services in the village, no water, no electricity.

Over the past few hours, there where at least 10 explosions. What the Israeli army is doing is detonating and blowing up more homes in nearby areas where it occupies.

So while the US State Department may call this ‘pilot zone’ project a milestone, for the reality of people in southern Lebanon, this is the beginning of what is going to be a very long process.

There are all these issues while there is an Israeli withdrawal from one small village, that people will not be able to return to, simply because the Israeli army is also surrounding the village.

We have to remember Israel controls six per cent of Lebanese territory, and Israeli officials are saying they’re not leaving.

Israel opens fire near where Lebanese troops deployed

The Israeli military opened fire “in the vicinity” of Lebanese soldiers as they deployed in the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in Nabatieh district.

“The Army Command affirms that this attack will hinder the implementation of deployment measures in the pilot areas, which are being carried out within the framework of communications with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” it said in a statement.

Zawtar al-Gharbiya is one of the “pilot zones” in which the Lebanese army is to take over security once Israeli forces withdraw as part of the US-brokered deal reached between Lebanon and Israel.

Lebanese president meets Trump at the White House

President Joseph Aoun has arrived at the White House to meet with President Trump.

The US leader greeted him at the entrance, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports.

The pair will likely discuss relations between Lebanon and Israel, and the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Aoun has been in the US since Saturday and has already met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump claims Israel in the process of ‘re-deploying’ in southern Lebanon

The US president, speaking with Lebanon’s president Aoun, said that Israel is currently “re-deploying” to other areas of southern Lebanon, as day two of Israel’s planned withdrawal from so-called “pilot zones” in the country continues.

This answer was given when Trump was asked whether there is a timeline for full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and the president did not elaborate.

When asked about an incident today in which Israeli troops fired on the Lebanese Army attempting to deploy to an area in southern Lebanon that the Israeli army had withdrawn from, Trump said he would “look into it”.

Paragraph 3 of the framework.
Under the security annex, the Lebanese Armed Forces will gradually assume full and effective security responsibility in designated pilot areas. These areas will serve as the mechanism for the phased and verified redeployment of Israeli forces and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Comment:

Redeployment of troops refers to the military process of moving soldiers, equipment, and resources from one operational location to another operational location, while withdrawal means the military retreat of troops.

Aoun says Speaker Berri supports ending the war

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has said that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri wants to see an end to the war, and is supportive of what the government is trying to achieve.

Noting that the framework agreement “doesn’t require the endorsement of the parliament,” Aoun said that Berri, the most powerful elected Shai politician in the country, is from the South, and is “supportive of what he are doing.”

“I can tell you that Speaker Berri is a man of state,” he added, and “he’s supportive of ending the state of hostility, ending war for all”.

Trump says Syrian president would like to fight Hezbollah and would be ‘effective’

During  interview with reporters while Lebanese president Aoun sat next to him, Trump was asked if he supports Syrian military action against Hezbollah, he said “it’s a concept”.

He said that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has “done a very good job, he’s pulled Syria together”.

“He would like to come in and do something with Hezbollah, you know, they’ve been fighting, he’s been fighting Hezbollah for a long time,” he added.

“I think it’d be very effective.”

Questions remain over when Israel will fully withdraw from Lebanon

The million-dollar question is when the Israeli army will fully withdraw from Lebanon.

Froun is one of the three pilot zones, even though the Israeli military never set foot here.

It will be a test for the Lebanese Army whether it can clear this and the surrounding area of Hezbollah fighters and any remaining weapons on its own.

In the last couple of days, the Israelis began their withdrawal from the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

The Lebanese Army has been deployed there over the course of the day. It came under fire from Israeli troops, which it says will hinder its ability to deploy to the pilot zones.

The Israeli military told local media that this was because the Lebanese Army bulldozer went further than an agreed-upon line.

Over the course of the day, we’ve been hearing machine gunfire and the sound of detonations at fairly regular intervals.

Israeli troops continue to occupy dozens of villages in southern Lebanon.

The question is, will this extremely limited withdrawal from one part of one village continue?

One of the sticking points is about the verification mechanism for these pilot zones. Basically, who is going to come and check whether the Lebanese Army has done the job that it has been assigned to do?

The Israelis reportedly want to be directly involved in that verification. That’s a problem for the Lebanese Army, and so there are still ongoing discussions about exactly who or what third party might do that.

But the problem and the concern for many people here in Lebanon is that the Israelis will make no further withdrawals until they feel satisfied that the Lebanese Army has done its job.

Paragraph 3 of the framework.
Under the security annex, the Lebanese Armed Forces will gradually assume full and effective security responsibility in designated pilot areas. These areas will serve as the mechanism for the phased and verified redeployment of Israeli forces and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Comment:

Redeployment of troops refers to the military process of moving soldiers, equipment, and resources from one operational location to another operational location, while withdrawal means the military retreat of troops.

Lebanon hails US-brokered framework agreement with Israel

Speaking during a press conference with Trump earlier, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun hailed a US-brokered framework deal signed with Israel.

“I would like to thank President Trump and his team for the historic achievement we did together … the signing of the framework agreement with ultimate objective of ending the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel forever,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported Aoun as saying in a post on social media.

Aoun told Trump that the deal “will be your legacy … together we will be able to achieve this objective”, continued the post.

“It is about time for Lebanon & whole region to be stable & secure and I know your vision is peace & stability. I have same vision, together we can achieve success in that regard.”

Earlier, we reported that Lebanese army troops began deploying in the southern Lebanese town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, in line with the US deal.

Two Lebanese paramedics wounded in landmine explosion

The Lebanese Red Cross says one of its ambulances was hit by a landmine explosion while conducting a rescue mission in the Zawtar al-Sharqiyah area.

The explosion “resulted in the injury of two paramedics and caused serious damage to the ambulance”, it said in a statement.

It added that it was “working in coordination with the Lebanese Army’s Engineering Regiment and relevant authorities to secure the area, which has been found to contain mines and unexploded ordnance, to allow safe access to paramedics and their evacuation”.

Meeting between Trump and Aoun was very fruitful: US adviser

Senior adviser for Arab and African affairs at the State Department, Massad Boulos, says the meeting between Trump and Aoun was very fruitful, and the pair discussed support for the Lebanese army and economic cooperation, among other issues.

He added that:

• The implementation of the agreement is proceeding gradually, and there is excellent coordination between the US CENTCOM and the Lebanese and Israeli armies.
• The disarmament of Hezbollah and the Israeli withdrawal go hand in hand, and that is why work is being done on the concept of experimental zones.
• Trump is committed to moving forward with the agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
• Washington has tools to deal with Hezbollah, but the current focus is on implementing the framework agreement.

Lebanon says Israel should engage in military coordination

The Lebanese army has called on the Israeli army to engage in military coordination rather than carrying out attacks.

Israeli forces opened fire on Lebanese army personnel stationed on the outskirts of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Lebanon’s Army said in a post on social media.

“The Israeli occupation army must address any issues through the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L) and through the approved coordination and communication channels, instead of carrying out attacks,” the army said.

Earlier, we reported that Lebanese army troops began deploying in Zawtar al-Gharbiya after Israeli forces withdrew from the country’s south, in line with a US-brokered deal between Lebanon and Israel.

Trump authorizes resumption of direct US flights to Lebanon

President Donald Trump says he will allow the resumption of direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon, which have been suspended for decades.

“After meeting with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has done a remarkable job working to transform his Country, I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all US airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the announcement, saying the move “represents a significant opportunity to enhance travel and connectivity between Lebanon and the United States, and to support the Lebanese economy”.

Lebanese president stresses need for Israeli withdrawal at Trump meeting

In his earlier meeting with US President Trump, President Aoun “emphasized the urgent need for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories,” the Lebanese presidency said in a statement.

Aoun affirmed that this is “an essential step toward consolidating stability, enabling the Lebanese state to fully extend its sovereignty — through its own forces alone—and moving forward with the implementation of the joint tripartite framework.”

The Lebanese president also detailed the catastrophic repercussions of the war on Lebanon, and he and Trump discussed “bolstering American support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, and developing cooperation between the two countries across all fields”.

The meeting, which followed an invitation from the US president, focused on the “security, political, and economic priorities necessary to bolster Lebanon’s stability and prosperity”.