Lebanese Army Begins Troop Deployment Under Ceasefire Agreement
Beirut/Istanbul (ANTARA) - The Lebanese Army announced that it has begun deploying troops in the town of Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, as the first phase of implementing the US-mediated framework agreement with Israel.
In a statement on Tuesday, the military command said a number of military units began deploying to the town in the morning, as part of the field measures currently being carried out by the army in southern Lebanon.
It urged residents not to travel to Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh for their own safety until the situation stabilises.
Lebanon also asked the public to follow the instructions of the deployed military units.
According to an Anadolu reporter, the army’s engineering regiment entered the town and began conducting field surveys on the streets to detect explosives and other remnants left behind by Israeli forces, ahead of the full deployment of Lebanese troops.
The deployment came after Israeli soldiers and their vehicles withdrew from the town, according to several local sources.
Earlier, the US Department of State announced on Monday the start of a pilot zone operation in several Lebanese villages, namely Froun, Srifa and Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh, under the framework of the agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel last month.
The agreement contains provisions for the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territory they occupy, although without specifying a definite timetable.
The process is only considered complete once the Lebanese Army has taken full control of security in the areas vacated by Israel and the weapons of militant groups, including Hezbollah, have been dismantled.
According to official Lebanese government figures, Israeli attacks have killed 4,328 people and wounded 12,227 others in the country since 2 March.
Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, some of which it has held for several decades and others seized during the previous war between October 2023 and November 2024.
Source: Anadolu