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The National News Agency reported that an Israeli force comprising infantry soldiers, military vehicles and a bulldozer entered Zawtar Al-Gharbiya in Lebanon’s Nabatieh district on the night of August 7. The troops built an earthen berm roughly 100 meters from the central square of the town which serves as one of the pilot zones under a recently signed bilateral agreement. Lebanese army personnel remained at the site throughout the operation while Israeli drones and reconnaissance aircraft flew at low altitudes overhead.
This action represents the latest reported breach of the framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26 under US sponsorship according to multiple Lebanese accounts. The deal provided for Israeli withdrawal from selected areas south of the Litani River in exchange for Lebanese army deployments to assume security responsibilities in those zones. Arab News reported on July 21 that the Lebanese army had entered Zawtar Al-Gharbiya at dawn that day marking the first test of the agreement’s pilot zone mechanism.
A source familiar with the negotiations told United Press International at the end of July that Lebanon continued to honor its commitments to the framework despite ongoing Israeli infiltrations and other actions. The source highlighted systematic house demolitions and repeated violations as factors complicating further talks in Rome on expanding the pilot zones. United Press International reported that the agreement seeks to pave the way for peaceful relations between Lebanon and Israel.
The National News Agency indicated that the incursion followed the Israeli withdrawal from the same town on July 21 as part of the initial phased redeployment. Lebanese authorities have recorded several such incidents since the framework agreement took effect in late June. These include both ground incursions and persistent aerial activity over the designated areas.
Lebanese army units which assumed positions in the town immediately after the July withdrawal continued to monitor developments on the ground. The presence of Israeli aircraft during the latest event added to the tensions in the pilot zone. Officials maintained their focus on implementing the terms of the US-brokered deal amid the challenges.
