Israeli troops enter Lebanese army-controlled village, build roadblock, mayor says
Israeli forces infiltrated the Lebanese army-held village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya overnight and erected an earthen barrier, according to the local mayor and state media, in what a Lebanese military source called a violation of the June framework agreement.
Israeli troops entered the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, which had been placed under Lebanese army control under a June agreement, shortly after midnight on Saturday, building an earthen barrier near the town square, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency and the village's mayor, Abed Ezzeddine, reported. An AFP correspondent saw the barrier at the village's eastern entrance, blocking the road. Local authorities said it remained unclear whether any Israeli forces were still present in the area.
Zawtar al-Gharbiya was one of two "pilot zones" designated for Lebanese army takeover under a US-sponsored framework agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese army deployed to the village on July 21, and around 50 families have since returned. Ezzeddine said Israeli troops had previously been stationed on the village's outskirts, but the new barrier — about 100 metres from the town square — came as a surprise when residents discovered it in the morning.
A Lebanese military source confirmed the incident to AFP, describing it as a breach of the framework agreement. The infiltration came just two days after Lebanon and Israel wrapped up a seventh round of direct negotiations in Rome, where a Lebanese source said Israel refused to discuss withdrawing from further areas until it was satisfied the Lebanese military had established full control over the pilot zones.
Israel invaded southern Lebanon after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in March in support of its backer Iran. The invasion and accompanying bombing campaign have killed more than 4,300 people according to Lebanon's health ministry and displaced hundreds of thousands. Under the June agreement, Lebanon is meant to disarm Hezbollah while Israel gradually withdraws its forces. Hezbollah has rejected the deal and refuses to give up its weapons, and Israel continues to carry out intermittent strikes on southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire in place since June. On Saturday, the NNA also reported artillery shelling in southern Lebanon.
