The Lebanese army reported that three soldiers were wounded while attempting to defuse unexploded ordnance in the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah. The incident occurred hours after the village mayor and Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli troops had entered the village and built an earth barrier overnight.
Mayor Abed Ezzeddine told AFP that residents were surprised to see the barrier, located about 100 meters from the village square. The village had been placed under the control of the Lebanese army as part of a June agreement with Israel, which is considered a violation of the framework accord by Lebanese military sources.
The Israeli military, however, claimed it was “not aware of such an event in this area,” according to AFP. NNA reported that “an Israeli occupation army force advanced into the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah shortly after midnight … and erected a new earthen barrier near the town square,” with an AFP correspondent confirming the barrier blocked a road at the eastern entrance.
The Lebanese army deployed to Zawtar al-Gharbiyah on July 21, and around 50 families have since returned, according to the mayor. Israeli troops were on the outskirts before the deployment. The village is one of two “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army is deploying under a US-sponsored framework agreement signed on June 26, which envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal in return for Hezbollah's disarmament.
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tyre, Ihab al-Aqadi, said Israel had escalated attacks over the past few days, parallel to negotiations in Rome. He described Zawtar al-Gharbiyah as a pilot area being cleared of mines, while the nearby town of Mansouri was shelled by Israeli artillery, remaining sealed off by gunfire. A bulldozer clearing roads there was damaged by a bomb explosion the day before.
Al-Aqadi detailed further incursions: Israeli bulldozing in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, drone strikes in Mayfadoun, and ground operations in Kfar Shouba and Haddatha. Villages along the line of contact, including Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Mansouri, have become uninhabitable. Lebanon is holding firm on the ceasefire and pressing Israel to halt destruction, while preparing for new talks in September.
Israel said a soldier was wounded in southern Lebanon on Saturday, sustaining moderate injuries in an “operational incident” and evacuated to hospital. Lebanon and Israel concluded a seventh round of US-mediated talks in Rome on Thursday, with President Joseph Aoun claiming “positive progress” on border and prisoner issues, though details remain unverified.
Source: www.aljazeera.com