The United States announced the beginning of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon

A US State Department spokesman announced on Monday the start of a project to transfer control of the Lebanese army over “three pilot zones” in the south of the country – the villages of Farun, Srifa and Zoutar al-Gharbiya.

As i24News clarifies, of the three settlements listed above, Israeli troops only held the village of Zoutar al-Gharbiya.

According to the statement of the American side, the work is being carried out within the framework of the trilateral mechanism of the United States, Israel and Lebanon under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group, created to implement the agreements reached.

In a statement, US State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said the start of work in the three villages was an “important milestone” and a direct result of talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives held last week in Rome.

The American statement marks a transition from the stage of political negotiations to the practical implementation of the agreement on the ground, when Israeli troops will transfer control of security in the “pilot zones” to the Lebanese army. The pilot phase should show how viable the proposed mechanism is before it is expanded to other areas.