In Zawtar Gharbieh, Nabatieh, Salam plants the Lebanese flag, promises 'complete Israeli withdrawal'

SOUTH LEBANON — By planting the Lebanese flag in the ruined village square, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday sought to project the image of a state reestablishing its presence in southern Lebanon. During a visit to Zawtar Gharbieh (Nabatieh), one of the “pilot zones” outlined in the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, the prime minister stated that “the objective remains the complete withdrawal of Israel from all Lebanese territory,” as the Lebanese Army begins to deploy in the area.

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Following this symbolic gesture, Salam welcomed the “beginning of the Israeli withdrawal from our land.” “From the outset, we have stated that our goal is the full withdrawal of Israel from all our territory. What we are witnessing today is only a beginning, but we are determined and unwavering. We will continue to mobilize all our political and diplomatic efforts to achieve a total withdrawal from Lebanese territory,” the prime minister declared.

Addressing the residents of southern Lebanon, he assured them that the state had “begun to allocate all its resources” to facilitate their return. “The Lebanese Army and security forces are present to protect our citizens upon their return. Alongside the army’s deployment, we will continue reopening roads, clearing rubble, and providing essential services to allow residents to return to their villages safely and with dignity,” he said.

Salam also stated that the authorities had “begun preparations to restore all essential services, including water, electricity, and telecommunications,” as well as to provide prefabricated housing and the necessary equipment for the transition. “The return of life in the South is not a simple slogan, but a national objective to which the state is fully committed. The return of our people to their land is the most authentic expression of Lebanon’s unity and sovereignty,” concluded the head of government.

At the end of June, Social Development Minister Haneen Sayed announced that 400,000 displaced people in Lebanon, out of more than one million since the resumption of the war on March 2, had “returned to their region of origin,” or “the equivalent of 40% of the displaced.”

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Salam was accompanied on this visit by the Minister of Defense, Michel Menassah; the Chief of Staff, Hassan Audi; the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council, Mohammad Mustafa; the Head of the Development and Reconstruction Council, Mohammad Qabbani; the Head of the Council for the South, Hashim Haidar, and the Director of the Central Operations Room at the Grand Serail, Zahi Shahine.

Zawtar Gharbieh is one of the "pilot zones" provided for in the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, in which the Lebanese Army is to deploy and dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure, a precondition set for an eventual, possible, Israeli withdrawal. Lebanese Army units began deploying to the village on Tuesday morning. That same day, the Lebanese Army said Israeli soldiers had fired towards its troops as they began their mission according to the agreement.

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Lebanese Army deploys in Zawtar Gharbieh, second 'pilot zone' for Israeli withdrawal

Unlike the other zone, located around Froun and Srifa in the central sector and south of the Litani River, the Israeli army was operating in Zawtar Gharbieh and detonated several buildings there before its withdrawal. Positioned on the outskirts of the locality, they blew up several buildings there and prevented residents from returning to their homes.

On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israel carried out several strikes, according to reports from our correspondent in southern Lebanon. Between 10 p.m. and midnight, an Israeli drone fired a stun grenade on Mansouri (Sour). Israeli forces also carried out a violent strike on the outskirts of Kfar Tibnit (Nabatieh).

After midnight, the Israeli army fired machine-gun rounds towards Haddatha (Bint Jbeil), whilst explosions were reported in the Jebb Soueid area, between Majdal Zoun and Mansouri (Sour). Israel also carried out explosions between Beit Yahoun and the outskirts of Braasheet, causing fires in homes, as well as in Haddatha (Bint Jbeil).

Promises of reconstruction amidst ongoing destruction

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According to a tally by our correspondent, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Israel carried out eight explosions in Kfar Tibnit, one in Deir Siryan, two in Khiam, four in Majdal Zoun, two in Mais al Jabal, two in Kounin, and one in Houla.

Israel has killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon since it re-escalated its war on Lebanon on March 2, forcibly displaced over one million people, and occupied swaths of Lebanese territory along the southern border.

For its part, Hezbollah is opposed to the agreement reached with Israel, rejects the ongoing Lebanon-Israel talks and refuses to disarm.

À Zaoutar el-Gharbiyé, Salam plante le drapeau libanais et promet « le retrait complet d’Israël »