The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon informed the country’s president on Thursday of the upcoming arrival of a U.S. delegation to monitor the start of the implementation of Israel’s withdrawalfrom “pilot areas” in the south, the presidency announced.

The framework agreement reached in Washington on June 26 between Lebanon and Israel—countries that have been at war for decades— provides that the Lebanese army will begin to deploy in areas from which Israel—which occupies part of the country’s south—is withdrawing, on the condition that Hezbollah be disarmed.

Beirut is demanding that the Israeli army withdraw before Lebanon participates in a new round of talks in Rome on July 15 and 16, a diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told Agence France-Presse.

U.S. Ambassador Michael Aisha, who was received by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, informed him that “a military delegation will arrive in Beirut in the coming days to coordinate and establish the mechanism for on-the-ground implementation” of the relevant provision regarding the “pilot areas,” according to a statement from the presidency.

The framework agreement does not set a timeline for withdrawal from southern Lebanon, where Israel has announced that it currently intends to maintain its troops in an area extending up to ten kilometers from its border.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, for his part, once again called on the United States to “put pressure on Israel.” He also emphasized, in front of the visitors, “the importance of ending hostilities” with its neighboring country.

This agreement was reached following five rounds of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington—the first of their kind in decades.

Following the negotiations in Rome, President Aoun will pay a visit to the United States, scheduled for July 21, according to the Lebanese Embassy in Washington.

Hezbollah, which dragged Lebanon into the regional war in March as a show of support for Tehran, opposes direct negotiations with Israel and refuses to disarm.

“No terms of the agreement will be accepted,” Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem reiterated this week.

Source: KYPE