A U.S. military delegation arrived in Lebanon on Saturday and began talks with the Lebanese military on formulating mechanisms for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from two areas within the "security zone" in southern Lebanon, according to a Lebanese military source.
The source said the talks were aimed at activating the first pilot zone within the broader "security zone." Israeli forces would withdraw from this area to allow Lebanese troops to deploy there. The first zone is set to be activated within days, with planning for additional zones also advancing.
Lebanon has told the U.S. side it will skip the next round of Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome until Israel completes the agreed withdrawal, according to earlier reports.
Israel, the U.S. and Lebanon wrapped up four days of ceasefire and withdrawal talks in Washington D.C. on June 26 and announced a trilateral framework agreement, which includes a pilot program for Israeli forces to pull out of two areas on both sides of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army to deploy to these areas under U.S. escort.
U.S., Lebanon discuss Israeli withdrawal from "security zone"
Russia said on Saturday its forces had struck Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises and multiple ports, while Ukraine reported attacks on Russian troop concentration areas over the past 24 hours.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its latest report that early on Saturday, its forces had used ground-based long-range precision weapons to strike Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises in Kiev involved in the production and storage of medium- and long-range drones, as well as infrastructure at multiple ports in the Odesa region.
Over the past day, Russian forces have taken control of a settlement in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine and struck Ukrainian targets in multiple other areas. In addition, Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 41 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported 261 combat engagements on the front over the past day, with air forces striking two areas where Russian troops were concentrated.
Ukrainian forces repelled dozens of attacks in the Pokrovsk, Oleksandrivsk and Lyman directions in eastern Ukraine, while no Russian offensive operations were reported in the Kupyansk direction in eastern Ukraine.
Russia, Ukraine report mutual strikes on each other's military targets
