US to guide Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon zones, lead new talks

BEIRUT, July 10: The United States will oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "pilot zones" in the south, with the first to get underway within days, Lebanese and US officials said Thursday.

A US official said that new talks between Israel and Lebanon would go ahead next week, after a diplomatic source earlier told AFP that Lebanon had demanded an Israeli pullout from the zones before taking part.

Under a framework agreement reached on June 26, Israel will gradually withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon where it has sent troops as part of its military campaign against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia movement that has long battled Israel.�" AFP