The Israeli army begins withdrawal operation in the first "pilot area" in southern Lebanon.

On July 20, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that the U.S. State Department issued a statement on the same day, announcing that the Israeli military had launched a withdrawal operation in three villages in southern Lebanon on the day of the first "pilot area" withdrawal.

The statement indicated that the withdrawal operation from the "pilot area" was initiated under the trilateral framework agreement between the U.S., Lebanon, and Israel, and was overseen by a trilateral military coordination group. The three villages involved are Marjeyoun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh. This is a direct result of the talks held between Israel and Lebanon on July 14 in Rome, Italy. The U.S. will continue to work closely with both parties to promote the implementation of the framework agreement.

On June 26, Israel, the U.S., and Lebanon concluded a new round of four-day ceasefire withdrawal negotiations in Washington and announced the establishment of a trilateral framework agreement. The trilateral framework agreement includes a pilot plan, which involves the Israeli military withdrawing from two areas located on either side of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. After the Israeli military's withdrawal, the Lebanese army will be deployed to the aforementioned two areas with the accompaniment of U.S. forces. On July 14, the Lebanese and Israeli sides held a new round of talks in Rome to discuss the implementation of the framework agreement and to promote the Israeli military's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.