The United States will oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from “pilot zones” in the south, with the first to get underway within days, AFP reports citing Lebanese and US officials.

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

The official says US Central Command will coordinate on the zones with both countries.

“We will soon begin outreach to international partners to help the Lebanese government effectively restore sovereignty in these zones and across their country more broadly,” the official adds.

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. As part of the agreement, the long-disempowered Lebanese military will take full control of two small areas dubbed pilot zones.