Ankara: Israeli forces opened fire near Lebanese army forces as they deployed in the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, the military said, warning that the incident could undermine the implementation of a pilot deployment under a US-mediated framework agreement with Israel. A Lebanese military statement mentioned that army units came under fire while carrying out a deployment operation in the town. No casualties were immediately reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, the army stated the attack "could hinder the implementation of deployment steps in the pilot zones" being carried out through coordination with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L). Established last June under the framework agreement, the group is a joint tripartite committee comprising the US, Israel, and Lebanon. Earlier Tuesday, the Lebanese army announced that it had begun deploying forces in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh as part of the first phase of the framework agreement signed with Israel last month.
The town, located south of the Litani River, is among the pilot zones covered by the first phase of the framework formula signed on June 26. The army emphasized that the deployment was part of ongoing field measures in southern Lebanon and urged residents to avoid traveling to the town until the security situation stabilizes and to follow the instructions of deployed troops.
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 Israeli army acknowledged that its forces fired at Lebanese soldiers, claiming it was a warning shot. Israel's public broadcaster KAN, citing a military statement, claimed Israeli forces fired "warning shots at Lebanese soldiers who crossed the agreed-upon line" in the town. The army said the US mechanism had been informed of the incident, KAN added.
The incident took place just hours before a scheduled summit between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US President Donald Trump at the White House at 6:00 p.m. Beirut time, according to an official source who spoke to Anadolu on Saturday. On Monday, the US State Department announced the start of pilot zone operations in the Lebanese towns of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh under the framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv.
The agreement outlines a phased Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, without a specific timetable. 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, with some areas held for decades and others seized during the previous war between October 2023 and November 2024.