Israel, Lebanon negotiate ‘Hezbollah-free zone’ before withdrawal – Shafaq News | Latest breaking news in Iraq and the world

Shafaq News- Middle East

Israeli and Lebanese military officers are holding
US-mediated talks to define the boundaries of a proposed “Hezbollah-free zone”
ahead of an Israeli pullback from two villages in southern Lebanon, Israel’s
public broadcaster said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reviewing the
proposal as Israeli officials seek assurances from the Lebanese Army and the US
Central Command that Lebanese forces are ready to deploy in the designated pilot
zones.

The US-brokered security framework advanced by Beirut
and Tel Aviv on June 26 envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal in exchange for
Lebanese Army deployment and the disarmament of armed groups. Hezbollah and
several Lebanese political factions rejected the proposal, while Israel
maintains that any pullback depends on Hezbollah’s disarmament. A reported
security annex would also allow Israeli forces to retain operational freedom in
the south without a timetable for a full withdrawal.

Read more: South Lebanon framework: What we know so far

Netanyahu previously identified Zawtar Al-Gharbiya and
Froun as the first two villages included in the pilot phase. Froun’s municipal
council, however, dismissed the designation, arguing that the town is neither
under Israeli occupation nor located within the so-called Yellow Line.

Although US President Donald Trump last month called on Netanyahu to show greater restraint in Lebanon, Lebanese media reported on
Sunday that Israeli warplanes struck Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, the Ali Al-Taher
heights, and the Al-Hariq neighborhood between Kfartebnit and Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.
Artillery shelling also targeted Deir Seryan and the outskirts of Qantara in
Marjayoun district, while Israeli forces demolished structures in Al-Tiri, in
Bint Jbeil district, and a drone dropped a stun grenade over Al-Mansouri in
Tyre district.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry put the cumulative toll from
the war between March 2 and July 5 at 4,304 dead and 12,203 wounded, including
women and children.

Read more: US-Iran ceasefire deal leaves Lebanon without guarantees