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6d ago

Lebanese Army Moves Into Zawtar al‑Gharbiya in U.S. Pilot‑Zone Test

Its outcome will shape whether verification, international backing, scaling, plus reconstruction funding move forward at early‑August technical talks in Rome.

Mahasen Faqih gestures toward the rubble of her neighborhood from inside her destroyed home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mohammed Sobeih clears debris inside his home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mahasen Faqih and her husband, Mohammed Sobeih, smile as they sit amid the rubble of their home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mahasen Faqih is seen through a shattered glass door as she checks her home, destroyed during the Israeli military operation, after returning to it in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Overview

  • The Lebanese army deployed to Zawtar al‑Gharbiya last week as the first on‑the‑ground test of a U.S.‑brokered pilot‑zone framework linking phased Israeli withdrawals to disarmament and state control.
  • Only a small number of families have returned so far, with the mayor reporting about 15 households back amid rubble and homes many residents say are uninhabitable.
  • Soldiers have conducted clearance and sweep operations while Israeli military vehicles and drones were observed on nearby heights, keeping the handover fragile.
  • Hezbollah publicly rejects disarmament and refuses to give up weapons, creating a central legal and operational hurdle for the army to inspect private sites and scale the pilot.
  • Technical teams from Lebanon and Israel are due to meet in Rome starting Aug. 4 to work out verification, international support, demining and whether other villages can be handed over.