'Pilot zones' are territories that Israel failed to occupy, Fadlallah says

BEIRUT — Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Thursday that the "pilot zones" agreed upon in the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel are parts of southern Lebanon that the Israeli army "failed to occupy."

He argued that what happened in the locality of Zawtar Gharbieh "in no way constitutes an Israeli withdrawal."

The Lebanese Army began its deployment there on Tuesday and is expected to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure, a prerequisite for the Israeli withdrawal.

"What happened is simply a reinforcement of the deployment of the Lebanese Army in liberated villages and localities that the enemy failed to occupy thanks to the blood of our martyrs and the sacrifices of our fighters," the MP stressed in a speech in Haddath, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

He denounced the "arrogance" of the Israeli army, which had opened fire, on the first day of the deployment, on the Lebanese Army, claiming the latter had advanced by 100 meters, while it was "on Lebanese territory."

This Israeli withdrawal from the first two "pilot zones," followed by the deployment of the Lebanese army, is included in the framework agreement signed by the Israeli and Lebanese delegations as part of direct negotiations in Washington in June.

The details were discussed in Rome in early July.

Hezbollah and its ally Amal continue to reject these direct negotiations. On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Zawtar Gharbieh, where the Lebanese Army had deployed to raise the Lebanese flag, the day after the meeting between President Joseph Aoun and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The head of state reaffirmed the Lebanese government's commitment to a monopoly on arms and insisted on the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The Hezbollah MP also accused the Lebanese authorities of presenting this episode as "a fictitious achievement," denouncing "a dance on the blood of the martyrs" and "a disregard for the sacrifices" of Hezbollah’s fighters.

According to him, Israel "has not succeeded in disarming the resistance by force of arms," and Lebanese officials will not succeed either. "Our resistance is a national necessity and we will remain committed to it until the liberation of our land, the protection of our country, and the preservation of the blood of our martyrs," he added.

Hani foresees 'a greater Israeli withdrawal'

Contrary to Fadlallah’s statement, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said that "the positive atmosphere accompanying the president’s visit to the United States should be reflected on the ground in Lebanon in the coming period," stating that "the priority is a broader Israeli withdrawal and an end to ongoing acts of destruction."

In an interview with La Voix de tout le Liban (the Voice of all Lebanon,) Hani welcomed "the first positive signs, notably the withdrawal from certain villages." He assured that "all future negotiations should focus on withdrawal."