ERBIL () — US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa visited a southern Lebanese village on Tuesday that recently came under the control of the Lebanese army under a US-backed framework agreement with Israel, as Beirut and Tel Aviv continue efforts to advance the deal amid persistent tensions along the border.
An AFP correspondent saw a convoy carrying Issa enter Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where the ambassador visited a church, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA).
The NNA reported that an Israeli drone was surveying the area during the visit and that Israeli military vehicles were seen moving in the neighboring town.
The visit comes as Israeli forces remain deployed in what Israel describes as a “security zone,” extending roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory along the border.
Under a framework agreement reached in June with US backing, Israel is expected to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon it occupies as the Lebanese army deploys there, initially through designated “pilot zones.”
The arrangement is linked to the requirement that Hezbollah disarm.
Israel has continued military operations in southern Lebanon despite the framework. Israeli forces recently destroyed what they described as a strategic Hezbollah position at the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, producing an explosion powerful enough to register as a 4.1-magnitude tremor.
Fresh talks between Israel and Lebanon on implementing the framework had been expected this month but were postponed until October.
A source from the Lebanese presidency told AFP that during the latest round of talks in August, Israel refused to discuss establishing additional “pilot zones” until the Lebanese army had secured full control of the initial zones.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited Zawtar al-Gharbiya on Saturday, where his office said he inspected Lebanese army units and observed nearby Israeli military positions.
Violence along the border declined following the June framework agreement and a broader US-Iran deal, but Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the conflict in March by launching attacks against Israel, has rejected negotiations with Israel and refused to disarm. The group has not claimed responsibility for any recent attacks.
According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people since hostilities began in March, underscoring the continuing fragility of the ceasefire framework and the challenges facing efforts to restore stability along the Lebanon-Israel border.
