|
Trending Topics
|
Beirut Says It Will Take Months to Implement Southern Lebanon Demilitarized Pilot Zones Program
(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - The implementation of the agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon in June, which calls for the disarming of Hizbullah and the gradual withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon, is expected to continue very slowly. So far, the Lebanese army has taken over only one of the two pilot areas. Israel believes the Lebanese army is making an effort to abide by its commitments, but the army's fifth division, composed primarily of Shi'ite soldiers and commanders, has tight relations with Hizbullah, making it hard to rely on it to uphold the agreement. Arab media report that Israel and Lebanon have agreed on Britain, Indonesia, Italy and Switzerland taking part in a new monitoring mechanism meant to stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon, replacing UNIFIL.