🇱🇧 SOUTH LEBANON PILOT ZONES BEGIN AS IDF PREPARES REDEPLOYMENT AND HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES REMAIN TRAPPED
📍 SOUTH LEBANON PILOT ZONE OPERATIONS BEGIN: The U.S. announced that pilot zone operations began today in the southern Lebanon villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya under the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
Froun and Srifa form the first pilot zone and are located outside the IDF’s southern Lebanon buffer zone. No Israeli withdrawal was required for the Lebanese army to enter, and Lebanese forces were already deployed in Froun on Friday under the agreement.
The second pilot zone covers the Zawtar al-Gharbiya and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah area inside Israel’s buffer zone, where Israeli forces are currently stationed and will be required to withdraw.
It remains unclear when the withdrawal will occur. Military assessments suggest the IDF could withdraw from the outskirts of Zawtar al-Gharbiya within the coming hours, according to a diplomatic source cited by MTV.
The U.S. State Department said: “Today, the implementation of pilot zones has begun in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, in accordance with the framework agreement and under the auspices of the Lebanese Armed Forces Coordination Group. This milestone is a direct result of the discussions held last week in Rome between Israel and Lebanon. The US will continue to work closely with both sides to ensure the full and successful implementation of the agreement”.
The State Department said the operations are being conducted under the “Trilateral Framework” and the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon as a direct outcome of last week’s Israeli-Lebanese discussions in Rome.
The pilot zones are intended to serve as the first stage of the new southern Lebanon security arrangement, strengthening regional stability and establishing coordination mechanisms between the parties under U.S. mediation.
🚧 DOZENS OF HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES TRAPPED IN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX: Approximately 40 Hezbollah operatives are reportedly “besieged” inside an underground complex in the Ali Taher ridge, currently considered the main friction point in Lebanon, according to N12 citing Israeli security sources.
IDF forces are blocking the tunnel openings. Security assessments indicate that the operatives’ supplies could run out within days, prompting preparations for a possible surprise breakout attempt.
The complex consists of a branched network of bunkers and tunnels extending for more than one kilometer. It reportedly serves as a command-and-control base containing weapons depots and rocket-firing facilities.
Israel previously targeted the complex from the air but failed to destroy it because it is dug deep underground. The IDF continues to monitor the site, which security sources described as the most complex arena currently inside Lebanon.
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