Displaced people collect their belongings at a makeshift camp along Beirut's waterfront June 30 before returning to their homes amid an Israel-Lebanon cease-fire. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 10 (UPI) -- Lebanon and Israel prepare to implement the first two pilot zones in southern Lebanon as an early test of last month's framework agreement -- a move that depends on Israel's willingness to act in good faith, the Lebanese Army's ability to assume security responsibilities and Washington's resolve to sustain pressure on Israel to uphold its commitments.
The U.S.-brokered framework agreement, reached June 26 after four days of marathon talks between Lebanese and Israeli negotiating teams under pressure from Washington, provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas of southern Lebanon.
It will begin with two pilot zones, agreed upon by both sides, to enable the Lebanese Army to deploy and "restore effective sovereign authority."
If successfully implemented and verified, displaced residents would be allowed to return and reconstruction could begin, paving the way for further Israeli withdrawals.
