The implementation of the agreement of principles signed between Israel and Lebanon has begun, with the Lebanese army deploying in the first experimental area located north of the so-called "yellow line" established by the Israeli army.
According to the newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth", the testing area entered by the Lebanese army forces is located in the vicinity of the villages of Froun and Ghandouriya, which are two Shiite villages in the Bint Jbeil region of southern Lebanon.
According to the report, no Israeli forces were deployed in this area, while the Israeli army is currently preparing to hand over the second experimental area, where its forces are still present.
The official announcement of the start of the pilot phase is expected to be made next Sunday, ahead of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s anticipated visit to Washington this week.
The report noted that the villages adjacent to the testing area where the Lebanese army was deployed are located in a strategic area north of the "yellow line," and near the Saluki Valley and the Litani River, which made it a major battleground during the Second Lebanon War, as well as during the ongoing military operations in the current war.
The framework agreement stipulates that "the Lebanese army shall gradually assume full and effective security responsibility in pilot areas, which constitute a mechanism for the gradual redeployment of the Israeli army and the deployment of Lebanese army forces, after verification of implementation. The first two pilot areas have already been agreed upon between the Israeli and Lebanese armies, with additional areas to be determined by mutual agreement between the two sides."
During the talks held this week in Rome under US mediation, a proposal was put forward to deploy Italian forces to oversee the disarmament of the area and prevent the presence of Hezbollah elements. It was also suggested that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) would oversee the operation, but Israel and the United States strongly opposed this proposal.
During the talks, the Israeli delegation stressed the need for the Israeli army to verify the implementation of the trial phase during which the Lebanese army will be deployed in the areas from which the Israeli army will withdraw.
In response, Beirut demanded that the Lebanese army assume responsibility for the area, along with the task of verifying implementation. After Israel rejected the proposal to assign this task to UNIFIL, what became known as the "Italian proposal" was subsequently put forward.
The report quoted security sources as saying that "the proposal is still under consideration by both sides."
