Lebanon and Israel are ​discussing a US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out of some of the territory it invaded and hand it to Lebanese army control during talks in Washington, officials on both sides said.

The proposed “pilot” project is being discussed in the latest round of Israeli-Lebanese talks, which are going ahead even after they appear to have been eclipsed by Iran’s move to make Lebanon central to its talks with the United States.

Israeli forces have seized a swathe of ​southern Lebanon during the war that was ignited when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel in a show of support for Tehran, days ​after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

A ceasefire has largely held since Sunday, the longest lull in the ⁠fighting yet.

But Israeli forces are still deployed deep inside southern Lebanon, citing the need to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attack.

Troops would be vetted

The Israeli officials said the Lebanese troops involved in the US-backed proposal would undergo US training and vetting to ensure they are not ​linked to Hezbollah, while Israel would maintain a military presence in a buffer zone along the border.

Asked about the Israeli officials’ comments, a senior Lebanese security official said discussions were ongoing in Washington and that specific military-to-military discussions, including on the pilot zones, would take place on Wednesday.

The Lebanese official said the discussions would focus on a ​timeline for Israeli withdrawal and that any plan would emerge only after the final day of talks on Thursday.

The official did not respond to ​a request for comment on the Israeli officials’ account of US vetting of Lebanese troops.

Lebanon’s army, which recruits from across the country’s sectarian mosaic, has long received US ‌military aid, ⁠part of US policy to bolster government security institutions in the country.

Hezbollah has consistently demanded that the Lebanese government withdraw from the US-backed talks with Israel — Beirut’s highest-level contacts with Israel in decades.

A US proposal for Lebanese army-controlled “pilot zones” featured in a ceasefire plan agreed by Lebanese and Israeli officials on June ⁠3.

Hezbollah ​rejected the plan, which was contingent on the group ceasing fire and evacuating its fighters ​from a swathe of the south.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israeli troops had full freedom of action to thwart any Hezbollah threat, and would remain in Lebanon ​for “as long as is necessary”.