The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages Monday, the US said, as a deal to eventually secure an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.

The US State Department announced the commencement of “pilot zone operations,” where Lebanese Armed Forces are slated to deploy in place of withdrawing Israeli troops. Notably, two of the three villages mentioned do not have Israeli forces located in them.

An unnamed senior Israeli official told the Axios outlet that the Israel Defense Forces will make its first withdrawal on Tuesday, but the report did not specify where that would be.

“Today, pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya, in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” the US State Department said in a statement.

Froun and Srifa are located in the first of two pilot zones earmarked for the LAF’s deployment, as part of the framework deal Israel and Lebanon reached last month. That pilot zone is located outside of the IDF’s buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

The second pilot zone straddles both sides of the IDF buffer zone. Zawtar Al-Gharbiya is inside Israel’s buffer zone. Israeli forces currently stationed there will be required to withdraw under the agreement.

The LAF, in a statement, said that “coordination is underway” with the US-led trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon for the deployment of its forces in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, “following the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from it.”

It also warned Lebanese civilians not to head to the town “and to comply with the instructions of the deployed military........

© The Times of Israel