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Israel’s ‘pilot zones’: Withdrawal on paper, continued occupation of south Lebanon

15 August 2026 16:58 BST

At the entrance to Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, a village in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese Army checkpoint marks the edge of what is now officially known as a "pilot zone".

It is one of three villages - along with Froun and Srifa - designated as such under the framework agreement between Israel, the United States and Lebanon, signed in June 2026.

On paper, the pilot zones, whose implementation began on 20 July, are meant to work as a formula: a gradual Israeli withdrawal, paired with a handover of sovereignty to the Lebanese Army, and the end of Hezbollah's armed presence in these locations.

Read more: Israel’s ‘pilot zones’: Withdrawal on paper, continued occupation of south Lebanon

A Lebanese soldier stands guard at the entrance to Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, one of three southern Lebanese villages designated as a “pilot zone” under an Israel-Lebanon framework agreement (Giovanna Vial/MEE)
A Lebanese soldier stands guard at the entrance to Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, one of three southern Lebanese villages designated as a “pilot zone” under an Israel-Lebanon framework agreement (Giovanna Vial/MEE)