'Pilot zones' offer litmus test for Lebanon to clear Israel border of Hezbollah
As the Trump administration focuses reaching a peace deal with Iran, US officials have been hosting backroom talks between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats aimed at finally resolving the question of Hezbollah’s entrenchment along Israel’s northern border.
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Last week, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefly resumed and expanded Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon and then backed down under pressure from President Donald Trump, a rare handover took place.
Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers deployed into the southeastern Lebanese town of Debbine on June 4, replacing Israeli forces shortly after they withdrew.
To many observers, the movement appeared to be a coordinated potential model for controlled, on-the-ground steps toward the goal of enabling Israel to withdraw from the country by deploying Beirut’s own security forces in the south to prevent the return of Hezbollah.
