Israel's 'pilot zones' turn Lebanese sovereignty on its head

Middle East Eye covers the rollout of so-called 'pilot zones' in south Lebanon, part of a Trilateral Framework signed in June between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States. Under the plan, the Lebanese army takes exclusive control of designated areas as Israeli forces withdraw, with US officials describing it as a path toward restoring Lebanese sovereignty and disarming Hezbollah. The pilot project launched in late July in three villages — Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya — none of which had been inside Israel's ongoing occupation zone, and all of which had already suffered heavy destruction. The outlet notes that Israeli troops have fired near Lebanese soldiers during the deployment, and Reuters has described the rollout as off to a slow start.

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