A trilateral framework agreement between Israel, Lebanon, and the US took effect on June 29, initiating a phased IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon as Hezbollah supporters protested in Beirut.

The agreement, outlined in a US State Department statement, establishes a roadmap for dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure and creates designated "pilot areas" in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces withdraw and the Lebanese army assumes control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the public in a televised address on the evening of June 28, illustrating the plan on a map of southern Lebanon. Netanyahu identified two pilot zones near the Yellow Line, one south of the Litani River near the village of Froun, and one north of the river near Zawtar el-Gharbiyeh, an area recently expanded by Israeli forces. Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli troops do not need to remain in either zone.

The practical picture appears more complicated. Froun, identified as a pilot zone south of the Litani, was never entered by Israeli forces during the conflict, meaning the absence of a physical withdrawal, LBCI reported after a camera crew visit to the village.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir framed the agreement as a product of recent military gains. "The operational strength and military achievements the IDF has secured in recent months created the conditions that made it possible," he said, adding that the coming period would shape the deal's durability.

Lebanese army deployment into Zawtar and Froun is expected imminently, Sharq Al-Awsat reported, citing a Lebanese government source. The deployment will be supervised by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper, who arrived in Lebanon on June 29 following a visit to Israel, accompanied by American observers tasked with coordinating the handover.

Despite apparent progress on the military front, it appears that Hezbollah and its supporters are positioned to undermine the deal. Protestors took to the streets of Beirut over the weekend to voice their opposition, while Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem voiced his stance.

"We did not leave the battlefield in the most difficult circumstances, and we will not leave it," Qassem said in a public address.