Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Adm. Brad Cooper is expected to visit Beirut soon after the recent visit by Maj. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, head of the multinational Cessation of Hostilities Supervisory Committee, a Lebanese source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Their mission, the source said, is to support the Lebanese Army and verify that it has fully deployed in the pilot areas and that no armed presence remains there other than Lebanese military units, an implicit reference to Hezbollah.
Their visits could also pave the way for discussions on expanding the scope of these pilot areas.
Lebanon's army on Tuesday began deploying to Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh as part of a framework agreement with Israel.
Under the deal, the army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from the pilot zones where Lebanese troops will subsequently deploy.
The source expected that the Lebanese-American-Israeli political and military meeting scheduled to take place in Rome on August 4 will serve as an opportunity to finalize plans for expanding these areas.
