Lebanese soldiers wounded as incursion into pilot zone breaches ceasefire accord
The Lebanese military has condemned the overnight entry of Israeli troops into a village under its control as a violation of the June framework agreement, even as President Joseph Aoun reports progress in Rome.
Three Lebanese soldiers were injured on Saturday while attempting to defuse unexploded ordnance in the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah. The incident occurred within a designated pilot zone under the control of the Lebanese army, established following a US-sponsored framework agreement signed with Israel in June.
Hours prior to the injuries, Israeli troops entered the village overnight to construct an earthen barrier near the town square. Mayor Abed Ezzeddine and Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that the barrier was erected approximately 100 metres from the square, effectively blocking a road at the eastern entrance. An AFP correspondent visually confirmed the presence of the earthwork.
A Lebanese military source characterised the incursion as a direct violation of the accord, which governs the security transition and phased withdrawal of forces in the area. The Israeli military told AFP it was not aware of such an event in the vicinity. The village, where around 50 families have returned since Lebanese troops deployed on July 21, remains one of two pilot zones where disarmament of Hezbollah is linked to Israeli withdrawal.
The injury to the soldiers coincided with a broader escalation of activity along the border. Al Jazeera correspondent Ihab al-Aqadi reported that Israeli artillery shelled the nearby town of Mansouri on Saturday, where residents remain displaced and infrastructure continues to be damaged. Bulldozing activities were also observed in occupied Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, while drone strikes and ground incursions persisted in other districts including Hasbaya and Bint Jbeil.
In a separate development, Israel confirmed that a combat engineer from the 607th Engineering Battalion sustained moderate injuries from shrapnel in the border village of Tayri, describing it as an operational incident. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continued in Rome, where Lebanon and Israel concluded the seventh round of US-mediated talks on Thursday. President Joseph Aoun stated that Beirut had made positive progress on border and prisoner issues, with preparations underway for further negotiations in September.
