The Israeli military has begun coordinating their actions with the Lebanese arm in the so-called pilot zones in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. "In accordance with the directives from the [Israeli] political echelon, the ‘Safe Zone’ pilot program began today (Monday) in southern Lebanon, in cooperation with the U.S. military (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Armed Forces. The agreement mentioned by the IDF envisages the beginning of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. The IDF provided no details of the withdrawal process but warned that it would "respond forcefully to any violation of the agreement." The US Department of State said earlier in the day that three pilot zones have come into effect in Lebanon.