Lebanese Army Begins Taking Over Pilot Zones as Israel Starts to Redeploy

by | Jul 21, 2026 | News

group of men in camouflage uniform standing on road during daytime

The Lebanese military has begun taking control of designated pilot zones in villages near the Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon, marking the first concrete step in an American brokered plan to gradually pull Israeli forces out of Lebanese territory.

Under an agreement reached in June among Israel, Lebanon, and the United States, the Lebanese controlled pilot zones are meant to serve as an initial phase allowing Israel to progressively redeploy out of Lebanon. The idea is straightforward in principle: as the Lebanese army moves in and establishes control, and as militant groups are disarmed, Israeli troops step back from the areas they have held.

The development coincided with a diplomatic push in Washington, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Rubio’s office said he commended the courage of the Lebanese government under Aoun’s leadership for its determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, and dismantle the group’s infrastructure.

The handover follows months of intense fighting. Hostilities erupted early in the year when Hezbollah began firing on Israel amid the broader war with Iran, and escalated sharply through the spring with heavy Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the Beqaa Valley. Negotiations opened under international pressure, and delegations from Israel and Lebanon have since met in several rounds, most recently in Rome, agreeing to move into a technical phase.

Significant obstacles remain. Israel has continued near daily operations against Hezbollah targets, describing them as the destruction of tunnels and weapons infrastructure, and it still holds a buffer zone reaching into Lebanese territory that officials say protects northern communities. Hezbollah has rejected the framework and refused to disarm, and analysts note that Iran may prefer to keep the group intact as a long term deterrent rather than see it dismantled now.

Still, the beginning of a Lebanese takeover, however limited, represents movement after months of stalemate. For communities on both sides of the border who have endured displacement and destruction, the pilot zones offer a first, cautious test of whether the framework can hold, and whether a fragile arrangement can be built into something more durable.

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