Three Lebanese soldiers sustained injuries while conducting demining operations in the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, according to the Lebanese military. The incident occurred on Saturday following reports that Israeli military personnel had entered the village and constructed an earth barrier near the town square overnight.
The village mayor and Lebanon’s National News Agency reported the barrier was positioned approximately 100 meters from the village center, blocking an eastern entrance road. A Lebanese military source characterized the construction as a violation of a framework agreement between the two nations. The Israeli military denied awareness of such activity in the area when contacted by international media outlets.
Zawtar al-Gharbiyah serves as one of two designated pilot zones under a June agreement between Lebanon and Israel that was mediated by the United States. The accord envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal in exchange for Hezbollah disarmament. Lebanese forces deployed to the village on July 21, and approximately 50 families have returned since that deployment. The area required extensive demining and debris removal efforts to facilitate civilian resettlement.
Beyond this incident, military operations extended across the southern border region. Israeli artillery shelled the nearby town of Mansouri, which has remained effectively sealed to residents since evacuation orders were issued. Israeli military bulldozers operated in occupied territory, and drone strikes targeted open areas in multiple locations. Ground incursions were reported in several additional villages along the frontier. According to international media correspondents, communities near the line of contact have become largely uninhabitable.
During the same period, an Israeli soldier sustained moderate shrapnel injuries in the border village of Tayri in what military sources described as an operational incident. Lebanon and Israel completed their seventh round of direct, US-mediated negotiations in Rome, with Lebanese leadership indicating progress on border demarcation and prisoner-related matters. Officials indicated additional talks were being prepared for later in the month.
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