Shafaq News- Beirut

The Lebanese Army began moving into the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, in the Nabatieh district, on Tuesday, as part of the "pilot zone" operations that include two other villages, Froun and Srifa, under the Trilateral Framework and the oversight of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L).

The Lebanese Army said it was preparing for an Israeli withdrawal from the village and would deploy once that took place.

إلحاقًا بالبيان السابق المتعلق بمواصلة تنفيذ الجيش مهماته في المناطق الجنوبية، بدأت الوحدات العسكرية صباح اليوم الانتشار في بلدة زوطر الغربية - النبطية بناء على الاتصالات القائمة مع مجموعة التنسيق العسكري الخاصة بلبنانMCG4L .تُجدد قيادة الجيش دعوتها المواطنين إلى عدم التوجه إلى… pic.twitter.com/636K6UiYwk

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) July 21, 2026

The framework agreement was signed on June 26 after six rounds of negotiations mediated by Washington. Under its terms, the Lebanese military is to take sole control of areas vacated by Israeli forces and verify that Hezbollah weapons, personnel, and military infrastructure have been removed.

Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh lies inside the buffer zone Israel has held since its war with Hezbollah, which means Israeli troops must pull back before Lebanese forces can enter. Froun and Srifa sit outside that zone, so their transfer requires no Israeli withdrawal. The areas Israel occupies across the south amount to roughly one-fifth of Lebanese territory, and the framework sets no timetable for their evacuation.

Engineering teams accompanying the army are also clearing streets of unexploded ordnance and other war remnants left by Israel.