Lebanon, Israel agree on creating ‘pilot zones’ to place Lebanese army in control

Lebanon and Israel have agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and establish “pilot zones” placing the Lebanese Armed Forces in exclusive territorial control, with all non-state actors excluded, according to a joint statement Wednesday.

“The ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of Hizbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hizbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector,” said the statement, which was released after the fourth round of US-mediated talks at the State Department.

The two sides agreed to “swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors,” the statement said.

“These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” it said.

The parties agreed to reconvene political and security tracks the week of June 22, with a view toward reaching a comprehensive agreement, it added.

According to Lebanese sources speaking to Anadolu, the second and final day of the negotiations at the US State Department headquarters lasted more than six hours.

The US-sponsored talks follow weeks of near-daily Israeli strikes on Lebanon that have killed nearly 3,500 people since March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was later extended until early July.

The conflict recently saw an escalation as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered troops to deepen the incursion and called for strikes on Beirut.

Netanyahu, however, was restrained after a tense phone exchange with US President Donald Trump, according to media reports.