Lebanon Takes Over Security in South

- The Lebanese army announced that it had begun deploying troops in the city of Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, as the first stage of implementing a framework agreement with Israel mediated by the US.

In a statement on Tuesday, July 21, the military command said a number of military units began deploying to the city in the morning, as part of field measures being taken by the army in southern Lebanon.

They asked residents not to travel to Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh for safety until the situation stabilized.

Lebanon also asked the public to follow the instructions of the deployed military units.

According to an Anadolu reporter reported by ANTARA, the army's engineering regiment entered the city and began conducting field surveys on the streets to detect explosives and some remnants left by the Israeli army, before the full deployment of the Lebanese army.

The deployment came after Israeli soldiers and their vehicles withdrew from the city, local sources said.

Previously, the US State Department announced on Monday the start of a pilot zone operation in several Lebanese villages, namely Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh, under the framework of an agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel last month.

The agreement includes provisions on the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territories they occupy, although it does not include a specific schedule.

The process is only considered complete when the Lebanese army has taken full control of security in the area vacated by Israel and has disarmed the militant groups including Hezbollah.

According to official Lebanese government data, Israeli attacks have killed 4,328 people and injured 12,227 others in the country since March 2.

Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, some of which have been controlled for decades and others seized during previous wars between October 2023 and November 2024.