Armored vehicles of the Lebanese army entering Zawtar Gharbieh, on July 21, 2026. (Credit: Fadel Itani / AFP)
SOUTH LEBANON — A unit from the Lebanese Army’s engineering regiment entered Zawtar Gharbieh, a village in the Nabatieh district along the northern bank of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, on Tuesday morning. The village is part of the second "pilot zone" established under the framework for an Israeli withdrawal.
The move follows Monday’s deployment in the first pilot zone, covering Srifa and Froun in the Bint Jbeil district, and comes hours before a scheduled meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, where Hezbollah’s disarmament and the Israeli withdrawal are expected to be at the center of discussions.
The army confirmed the deployment in the village, where Israeli forces have carried out numerous demolition operations in recent days. It was around Zawtar Gharbieh and the neighboring village of Zawtar Sharqieh that Israeli forces crossed the Litani River during their advance into southern Lebanon.
In a statement published on social media, the army said it had “begun deploying this morning [Tuesday] in Zawtar Gharbieh [Nabatieh district], based on ongoing contacts with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L).”
According to the security annex signed alongside the June 26 framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, the MCG4L is a coordination body between the two countries “responsible for ensuring 24/7 operations to manage deconfliction, verification and the overall implementation” of the agreement. “This cell will report to the respective political authorities of Israel and Lebanon through indirect military channels between the two countries.”
Demolitions and airstrike
According to our correspondent in south Lebanon Mountasser Abdallah, Lebanese soldiers are set to inspect roads, neighborhoods and properties, as well as carry out demining operations.
Unlike in Froun and Srifa, Israeli forces had maintained a presence in Zawtar Gharbieh in recent days.
The deployment was preceded by warnings from the Lebanese Army and the municipality of Zawtar Gharbieh urging residents not to travel to or enter the village until security measures had been completed, the area declared safe and residents authorized to return.
Before the deployment, Israeli forces had demolished homes in the village, operations accompanied by intense artillery fire. No journalists were allowed to accompany the Lebanese Army deployment for security reasons.
Reporting on the "pilot zones," Axios said Tuesday, citing Israeli officials, that that the U.S. is still negotiating with Israel and Lebanon over who will verify that the Lebanese Army had cleared the areas before the next phase of the withdrawal can proceed.
A senior Israeli official told the U.S. news website that the Israeli army's withdrawal started began Tuesday morning.
According to Axios, despite U.S. pressure on Israel to withdraw, both Trump and Aoun recognize that a "real acceleration of the pullout and a possible breakthrough toward a lasting peace deal can't happen until after the Israeli elections in October."
Meanwhile, The Israeli army continued its strikes in the South overnight and Tuesday morning, particularly in the Nabatieh district. Several Israeli attacks targeted Kfar Tibnit, located a few kilometers farther east, where Israeli forces demolished several homes at dawn.
The Israeli army also continued its strikes in the South overnight and Tuesday morning, particularly in the Nabatieh district. Several Israeli attacks targeted Kfar Tibnit, located a few kilometers farther east, where Israeli forces demolished several homes at dawn.
Artillery fire also targeted the heights of Ali Taher, a strategic hill in the district where Israel accuses Hezbollah of maintaining a command center. Shelling also struck the outskirts of Mayfadoun, Kfar Roummane hill and Nabatieh Fawqa.
In the Bint Jbeil district, the Israeli army carried out demolition operations on the outskirts of the city, accompanied by intense automatic weapons and artillery fire toward Haddatha.
In the Sour district, Israeli fighter jets carried out a nighttime strike on the Ghazaleh neighborhood of Mansouri.
In infographics: How 4 months of Israeli attacks and war devastated Lebanon