Lebanon says Israeli troops built barrier in pilot village

Lebanese state media, the local mayor and a Lebanese military source said Israeli troops entered Zawtar al-Gharbiya shortly after midnight Saturday and built an earthen barrier in the south Lebanon village, one of two pilot zones under a June agreement with Israel.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said an Israeli force advanced into the village and erected the barrier near the town square. An AFP correspondent saw the barrier at the village's eastern entrance, where it blocked the road.

Local authorities said it was unclear whether any Israeli forces remained in the area. The Israeli military told AFP it was “not aware of such an event in this area”.

Zawtar al-Gharbiya was designated as one of two pilot zones where the Lebanese army was to take over as part of a US-sponsored framework agreement signed with Israel. Under the agreement, Lebanon is meant to disarm Hezbollah while Israel is supposed to gradually pull back its forces.

Mayor Abed Ezzeddine told AFP that Lebanon's army deployed to Zawtar al-Gharbiya on July 21 and that around 50 families had since returned. He said Israeli troops had been present on the outskirts before the deployment, and that residents were surprised in the morning to see the barrier about 100 metres from the town square.

A Lebanese military source told AFP the incident was a violation of the framework agreement.

Separately, Lebanon's military later reported that three soldiers were wounded, one of them moderately, while dismantling unexploded ordnance in Zawtar al-Gharbiya on Saturday.

Israel invaded south Lebanon after Hezbollah entered the wider Middle East war on the side of its sponsor Iran in March. Israeli forces continue to occupy a broad band of territory in the south along the border. Lebanon's health ministry says Israel's invasion and bombing campaign have killed more than 4,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

Lebanon and Israel completed their seventh round of direct negotiations in Rome on Thursday. A Lebanese source told AFP that Israel refused to discuss withdrawing from more areas before making sure Lebanon's military had full control over the pilot zones.

Hezbollah rejects the deal and refuses to surrender its weapons. Israel still carries out intermittent strikes in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire in place since June. The National News Agency on Saturday also reported artillery shelling in southern Lebanon.