Lebanese army begins deployment in southern town under framework agreement with Israel

The Lebanese army said Tuesday it began deploying forces in the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh in Nabatieh under the first phase of a US-mediated framework agreement with Israel.

In a statement, the army command said military units began deployment in the town in the morning, as part of ongoing field measures carried out by the army in southern Lebanon.

It urged residents not to travel to Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh until the security situation stabilizes and to follow the instructions of deployed military units for their safety.

According to an Anadolu reporter, the army's engineering regiment entered the town and began field surveys of streets to detect explosives and remnants left by the Israeli army, ahead of the full deployment of Lebanese forces.

The deployment comes after the Israeli army and its vehicles withdrew from the town, local sources said.

The US State Department announced on Monday the start of pilot zone operations in the Lebanese villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya under the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel last month.

The agreement provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, but it does not include a timetable for the withdrawal. Instead, it links its completion to the Lebanese army assuming full security responsibility in areas vacated by Israeli forces and the disarmament of armed groups, including Hezbollah.

According to official Lebanese figures, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 4,328 people and injured 12,227 others since March 2.

Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the previous war between October 2023 and November 2024.