Lebanon PM says government is working for full Israeli withdrawal

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on 22 July that Beirut was continuing political and diplomatic efforts to secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from areas it occupies in southern Lebanon.

Salam spoke during a visit to Zawtar al-Gharbiya, a village where the Lebanese army recently deployed. He described the deployment as part of efforts connected to several pilot zones intended to show that the army can remove and disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah under a Washington-sponsored deal with Israel.

The Lebanese military began deploying in the village on Tuesday. Israeli forces had previously been present on its outskirts.

Salam's visit came a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met US President Donald Trump at the White House. Aoun said he had stressed the urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

Under the agreement signed last month, Lebanon's army is meant to disarm Hezbollah in the pilot zones where it operates and ban military activity by any non-state group. The arrangement is intended to clear the way for future Israeli withdrawals from other areas. Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the agreement and has refused to give up its weapons.

The Lebanese military said on Tuesday that Israeli forces opened fire near its units and that the incident would hinder the deployment. The Israeli military said it had only fired warning shots into the air after Lebanese soldiers entered an area that it said was not part of the pilot area.

Hezbollah entered the Middle East war by attacking Israel in support of Tehran on March 2, which was followed by major Israeli air strikes and a ground invasion.

After planting a Lebanese flag in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Salam said that, alongside the army deployment, authorities would continue opening roads, removing rubble and securing essential services so residents could return safely to their homes and villages.

Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 4,300 people since March. Israeli forces have also demolished scores of buildings in the south.

The violence has fallen sharply since the signing last month of a framework agreement between the United States and Iran and the Lebanon-Israel deal. More than one million people were displaced by the violence, and more than 700,000 have returned to their homes in recent weeks, according to the United Nations.