JAKARTA - Israeli forces fired shots near Lebanese army units in southern Lebanon. Lebanon said the action could hinder the implementation of crucial initial steps of a US-brokered ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon signed last month aims to transfer control of the territory in southern Lebanon from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to the Lebanese military. This gradual process begins with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from several "pilot zones" near the so-called "Yellow Line", which marks the border of the territory occupied by the Israeli military.
The Lebanese army on Tuesday, July 21, said they were moving towards Zawtar al-Gharbiya, a town in the country's south, when the IDF approached the suburb and fired near their units.
The Lebanese army stated that such actions could hinder the implementation of troop deployment measures in the pilot areas.
Meanwhile, the IDF said Lebanese forces entered the nearby town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, which they said was not part of the pilot area.
The Lebanese army denied entering the city. According to the IDF, Israeli forces fired warning shots into the air, and Lebanese units then retreated without reports of casualties.
"The IDF calls on the Lebanese Armed Forces to continue to operate in accordance with existing understandings and within agreed upon areas," the Israeli military statement said, as reported by CNN, Tuesday, July 22.
"Any deviation from these areas without prior coordination can endanger their own forces," he continued.
The US-brokered deal ultimately aims to end the fighting in southern Lebanon and lead to a broader peace agreement between the two neighboring countries. Israel has been engaged in a conflict with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, since early March.
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