The Israeli army said that the experimental phase of the safe zone project in southern Lebanon began on Monday in cooperation with the US Central Command and the Lebanese army.

The report stated that "as part of this experimental phase, teams from the Israeli army, the US army, and the Lebanese army are conducting coordination and planning operations to continue implementing the agreement. The Israeli army will forcefully address any violation of this agreement."

The Israeli army also announced that it will make adjustments to its positions "in one of the experimental areas in southern Lebanon, to enable the Lebanese army to carry out its mission," according to what Agence France-Presse quoted from an Israeli military source.

The Israeli military source said the adjustments will be made "while maintaining the security of Israeli army soldiers and preserving their right to self-defense and removing threats."

He pointed out that the step "constitutes a test of the Lebanese army's ability to impose its sovereignty in the three concerned villages, as the only official authority authorized to carry weapons in the region," referring to the villages of Froun, Sarifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

The experimental safe zone is areas of land in southern Lebanon where the US-backed agreement between Lebanon and Israel stipulates the disarmament of Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the deployment of Lebanese forces.

The United States had earlier on Monday announced the immediate implementation of "experimental zones" in southern Lebanon, under a framework agreement reached by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in June, and days after a new round of negotiations between the two sides sponsored by Washington in Rome.

A statement from the US State Department said: "Today, the implementation of experimental zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Sarifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, in accordance with the tripartite framework agreement and under the supervision of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon."

Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement on June 26 after five rounds of negotiations, which specifically stipulates the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel's gradual withdrawal from the territories it penetrated in southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army starting from "two experimental zones."

A US official said, "This is an opportunity for the Lebanese state to begin restoring its effective control over areas historically dominated by Hezbollah."

He added that "any attempt by Hezbollah to obstruct this process, infiltrate those areas, or rearm there would severely harm the chances of reconstruction and peace."

The framework agreement does not set a timeline for withdrawal, while Israel repeatedly states through its officials that its forces will not withdraw from a "security zone" extending ten kilometers from its border until after Hezbollah's disarmament, a step analysts doubt the Lebanese state's ability to achieve.

The Lebanese army said on Monday that it has been reinforcing its deployment since last week by intensifying its patrols in the towns of Froun and Sarifa, while the Israeli army is still deployed on the outskirts of the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where it was advancing to carry out explosions and then retreating.

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