Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar shake hands with gendarmes and local officials at the Kfar al-Joz gendarmerie barracks in southern Lebanon, Oct. 2, 2026. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam toured the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon on Friday morning, just a few kilometers from the Israeli-occupied "buffer zone," in an area still regularly targeted by strikes and attacks.
The tour, which began with a stop at the Kfar al-Joz gendarmerie barracks, is part of the authorities' efforts to demonstrate their commitment to the region and southern Lebanon, where they must disarm Hezbollah, even as fears of renewed escalation hang over the country. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar and Finance Minister Yassin Jaber accompanied the prime minister.
"We salute the efforts of the security forces present here and stand by their side," Salam told the gendarmerie units, according to remarks relayed by our correspondent in southern Lebanon. He praised the officers "who ensure the security of the population." Hajjar said "the state will always be by the citizens' side."
Since Israel seized and demolished Hezbollah facilities beneath Ali Taher hill, which overlooks the Nabatieh region, authorities have taken several steps to strengthen the state's presence in the city, notably through security and military deployments and the announcement of plans to reopen the local courthouse soon.
Residents had expressed fears of an Israeli attack on the city and called for it to be disarmed. Several ministers, including Justice Minister Adel Nassar, as well as U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa, had visited the area before Salam.
The first so-called "pilot zone" was established in this area, in the village of Zawtar Gharbieh on the north bank of the Litani River. These zones are part of the framework agreement reached in June between Lebanon and Israel, but their implementation remains on hold pending further negotiations. Military talks within this framework, excluding political issues, are scheduled for mid-October in Florida.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its attacks overnight and into Friday morning. It fired two shells at the outskirts of Hebbarieh in the Hasbaya district, a village outside the "buffer zone." It also shelled Wadi Slouqi in the Marjayoun district, Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district, and Mansouri and Zibqine in the Sour district.
On Thursday evening, Israeli fire targeted Wadi Zibqine, the outskirts of Shebaa in the Hasbaya district, and Nabatieh Fawqa, Mayfadoun, and Kfar Tibnit in the Nabatieh district. A powerful explosion was also reported in Mansouri.
Reporting contributed by our southern Lebanon correspondent, Muntasser Abdallah