The Lebanese army accused Israeli forces of shooting near its troops on Tuesday, as the two sides took the first steps in a new U.S.-brokered plan to transfer control of occupied areas back to Beirut after months of war.
Lebanese troops began deploying in a village in southern Lebanon following an Israeli withdrawal on Tuesday, hours before President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon was scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House. The two leaders are expected to discuss the security situation in Lebanon, as well as efforts to secure Israel’s withdrawal from the Lebanese territory that it has occupied for months. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Lebanese army’s claims.
The Lebanese army said in a statement on Tuesday that it had begun deploying to the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in the southern Nabatieh district. The army urged residents not to return until the security situation had stabilized and asked them to follow the instructions of troops on the ground.
Hours later, the Lebanese military accused Israeli forces of opening fire near their units. In a statement, they added that “this act of aggression could hinder the implementation of deployment steps in the pilot areas.”
The deployment was part of a phased arrangement under which Israel agreed to withdraw from areas in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese military plans to move in to secure them, allowing displaced residents to return. The areas, described as “pilot zones,” are meant to test a broader agreement reached last month between Lebanon and Israel to wind down the conflict.
In Lebanon, critics of the deal say it has not set a firm timetable for Israel’s withdrawal. Instead, the Israeli military’s retreat is tied to the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that the government does not control. Hezbollah was not party to the negotiations with Israel and has rejected the framework agreement.
Tuesday’s deployment announcement was made hours after the Israeli military said that Israeli, American and Lebanese military teams were conducting joint planning and coordination to implement the agreement. As part of the deal reached last month, Israel and Lebanon also agreed to establish a military coordination group overseen by the United States.
The State Department said in a statement on Monday that the initial “pilot zone” operations would include the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, and were “a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome.” Israel and Lebanon have held rare diplomatic talks for months, meeting first in Washington and then in Rome.
Hezbollah has rejected the negotiations with Israel, as well as efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm the group, adding to uncertainty about the broader agreement, how it can be carried out and Lebanon’s fragile path toward stability.
The Israeli withdrawal, though limited in scope, could offer the Lebanese government an opportunity to bolster its standing, some analysts said.
“Withdrawing from the area does not make a massive difference on the ground,” said David Wood, the senior Lebanon analyst at the International Crisis Group, a research organization. “But the Lebanese state will hope that it can use this first ‘pilot zone’ as a proof of concept, showing that the Lebanese army can assert control effectively, and therefore the U.S. should push Israel to accept further ‘pilot zones’ in fully occupied areas of Lebanese territory.”
The latest round of fighting erupted in early March after Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began in late February. More than 4,300 people have been killed in Lebanon and over 12,000 wounded in the latest conflict, according to Lebanese health officials. Israeli officials say at least four Israeli civilians and more than 30 soldiers have been killed.
By Tuesday afternoon, footage on social media and local television showed residents of the Zawtar al-Gharbiya, along with ambulances, attempting to access the area. But Abed Ezzedine, the village’s mayor, said that Lebanese troops had told residents they would not be able to access the town on Tuesday.
“The Lebanese army is doing its best to clear the roads and streets within the town,” Mr. Ezzedine said in a phone interview. “I am anxiously waiting with other people to get into the town. I can’t wait to see Zawtar again.”
Hwaida Saad and Leo Sands contributed reporting.
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