Lebanon to Continue Diplomatic Efforts for Complete Israeli Pullout, PM Says
Nawaf Salam says Beirut will press ahead with political and diplomatic efforts to secure Israel's complete withdrawal while the Lebanese army expands its deployment under the framework agreement.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that Beirut will continue mobilizing all political and diplomatic efforts to secure a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a day after the Lebanese army deployed in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya under the framework agreement signed between the two countries.
Speaking after raising the Lebanese flag in the town square of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where he arrived under army escort, Salam said, "We will continue mobilizing all our political and diplomatic efforts to secure the complete withdrawal from all Lebanese territory."
The Lebanese army began deploying on Tuesday in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of the designated "pilot areas" under the US-sponsored framework agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel last month.
Israeli forces had been positioned on the outskirts of the town and continue to maintain a presence in several neighboring communities.
The Lebanese army accused Israeli forces of opening fire near its troops during the deployment, while the Israeli military said it fired warning shots into the air after Lebanese soldiers entered an area it said was not part of the designated pilot zone.
Under the framework agreement, the Lebanese army is expected to work, following its deployment in the pilot areas, to remove Hezbollah's weapons from those locations and prohibit any military presence by groups outside state security forces. The arrangement is intended to serve as a model for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from additional areas.
Salam's remarks came one day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, stressed "the urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory," describing it as an essential step toward strengthening stability and enabling the Lebanese state to exercise full sovereignty through its own institutions.
The prime minister also said that, alongside the army's continued deployment, the government would reopen roads, clear rubble, and restore basic services to allow residents to return safely and with dignity to their homes and villages.
The conflict caused widespread destruction, particularly across southern Lebanon.
According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 displaced people have returned to their homes in recent weeks out of more than one million who fled after the outbreak of the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Violence in southern Lebanon has declined significantly since the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month, alongside continuing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.