Summary: A senior Lebanese security official said that army forces began deploying in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi in southern Lebanon after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, in implementation of a plan mediated by the United States.

The Lebanese army said on Tuesday that Israeli forces opened fire 'nearby' its troops during their deployment in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi, one of the 'experimental zones' in the south of the country, under the framework agreement with Israel.

The army stated in a statement, 'While the military units were carrying out the deployment operation in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi, Israeli forces opened fire near these units,' stressing that 'this attack could hinder the implementation of deployment steps in the experimental zones.'

The Lebanese army began deploying Tuesday morning in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi in southern Lebanon, according to a military source, in application of the 'experimental zones' under the framework agreement with Israel, hours before Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump.

The source added, 'The army began deployment in Zawtar al-Gharbi,' a town in the Nabatieh governorate, where the Israeli army had been stationed on its outskirts and prevented its residents from returning.

This came a day after the US State Department announced the immediate implementation of experimental zones in three towns in the south of the country.

Withdrawal of Israeli forces

A senior Lebanese security official said that army forces began deploying in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi in southern Lebanon after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, in implementation of a plan mediated by the United States.

The plan stipulates that the Lebanese army confiscate Hezbollah's weapons in parts of southern Lebanon, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The Lebanese army command said in a statement that military units began deploying Tuesday morning in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi in the Nabatieh district based on ongoing communications with the special military coordination group for Lebanon.

The army command reiterated its call for citizens not to go to the town until the security situation stabilizes, and to comply with the instructions of the deployed military units to ensure their safety.

US-Lebanese summit

Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is meeting his US counterpart Donald Trump today in Washington, amid escalating US pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.

The visit comes a day after the United States, which sponsors negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, announced the start of implementation of a framework signed by the two countries, which includes the Lebanese army extending its authority over 'experimental zones' in southern Lebanon.

These zones are adjacent to the territories occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli army is present on the outskirts of one of the towns. Israeli soldiers have infiltrated large areas in southern Lebanon since the start of the war between them and Hezbollah on March 2 last year.

The framework agreement also stipulates a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the south, but Israel conditions the withdrawal on the disarmament of Hezbollah. It says it will keep its forces for now in what it has classified as a 'security zone'.

Washington is pressuring Lebanese authorities to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after meeting Aoun last Sunday, 'As long as this problem persists, Lebanon will not truly enjoy peace.'

In a previous State Department statement, Rubio praised 'the courage of the Lebanese government (...) and its determined efforts to restore Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure.'

This is the first visit by a Lebanese president to the United States since 2009, when then-President Barack Obama hosted his counterpart at the time, Michel Suleiman.

Aoun is expected to request additional aid for the Lebanese army, given the difficulty of the task of disarming Hezbollah.

Lebanese army vehicles in the town of Froun, listed among the experimental zones (AFP)

On the other hand, Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that Trump 'will undoubtedly want to hear additional evidence of Aoun's seriousness' in disarming the party, dismissing army officers believed to be complicit with it, and reaching peace with Israel.

Satloff added that Aoun's visit would also allow him 'to eliminate a dangerous idea that seems to have captured Trump's imagination: enabling Syria to send troops to Lebanon under the pretext of eliminating Hezbollah.' Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara said earlier that his country does not intend to intervene in Lebanon, despite Trump's repeated calls for him to do so.

Israel: Beginning of the experimental safe zone project

The Lebanese army stated that its units are continuing their missions in the towns of Froun and Sarifa in southern Lebanon and that they are coordinating with the military coordination group in Lebanon to begin deployment in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The Israeli army said that the experimental phase of the safe zone project in southern Lebanon began yesterday, Monday, in cooperation with the US Central Command and the Lebanese army, which a US official described as a step towards reasserting the Lebanese state's authority in the region.

The experimental safe zone consists of areas in southern Lebanon where the US-backed agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon last month stipulates the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the deployment of Lebanese forces.

An Israeli flag on the side of a road in Naqoura, southern Lebanon (AFP)

The Israeli army announced that it would make adjustments to its positions 'in one of the experimental zones in southern Lebanon, in order to enable the Lebanese army to perform its mission,' according to an Israeli military source.

The Israeli military source said the adjustments would be made 'while simultaneously maintaining the security of Israeli soldiers and preserving its right to self-defense and the removal of threats.'

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He pointed out that the step 'constitutes a test of the Lebanese army's ability to impose its sovereignty over the three concerned villages, as the only official authority authorized to carry weapons in the region.'

The three armies

The Israeli army said that teams from the three armies are conducting coordination and planning operations to implement the agreement. The Lebanese army stated yesterday, Monday, that its units are continuing their missions in the towns of Froun and Sarifa in southern Lebanon and that they are coordinating with the military coordination group in Lebanon to begin deployment in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The United States announced yesterday, Monday, that Lebanon and Israel would begin implementing the experimental zones 'in the villages of Froun, Sarifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbi, in accordance with the trilateral framework agreement and under the supervision of the military coordination group for Lebanon.'

The coordination group is a tripartite body formed under the framework agreement to support its implementation, under US mediation.

The army demanded that residents not enter the town of Zawtar al-Gharbi and adhere to the instructions of the forces deployed in the area.