This step was taken during Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s visit to Washington, who mediated the agreement with Israel.
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Israel invaded Lebanon during the recent war with Iran-backed fighters Hezbollah and continues to occupy parts of the country despite the ceasefire.
So far, Israeli forces have controlled only the edges of one of the so-called trial zones, and the issue of occupation of other territories has not yet been resolved.
The Lebanese army is already deployed in the other two trial zones.
“Military units began deployment this morning in the village of Zavtaro al Garbiya” in the Nabatiyeh region, the army said in a statement.
Lebanese media showed military vehicles, some with Lebanese flags, entering the village located on the edge of Israel’s so-called security zone.
The Israeli invasion began after Hezbollah in March involved Lebanon in a wider war in the Middle East, carrying out rocket attacks against Israel and seeking to support Iran.
Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement last month aimed at the gradual withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah, with the Lebanese army taking over security in the south.
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Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected this agreement and refuses to disarm, and there is no final schedule for Israel’s withdrawal.
The U.S. State Department announced Monday evening that the Lebanese army has begun securing the villages of Zavtaro al Garbiya, Froun, and Srifa.
Israeli forces are not deployed in the latter two villages located on the edge of the security zone, but they were deployed on the outskirts of Zavtaro al Garbiya.
A U.S. official called this moment “an opportunity for the Lebanese state to begin restoring real control over territories historically dominated by Hezbollah.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that it “will adjust its forces’ position in one of the trial zones.”
