Pilot zone operations launched in Lebanon

Pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, the US State Department said in a statement. According to the Trilateral Framework, the pilot zones are to see the full withdrawal of the Israeli forces and the deployment of the Lebanese army, as well as disarmament of non-state armed groups, with a clear reference to Hezbollah. Hezbollah, which has not engaged in the talks, strongly denounced the calls for disarmament.