As was reported yesterday, Lebanese troops entered the Lebanese town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh as part of the agreed upon “pilot zone” program with Israel and the United States. This program was to see Lebanese military forces take over a handful of municipalities in southern Lebanon, some of which were previously under Israeli occupation.
Shortly after arriving in the town, the Lebanese military reported that their forces came under fire from Israeli forces in the area, though it appears there were no casualties as a result of the firing.
The IDF confirmed the incident, saying they had fired “warning shots” at the Lebanese soldiers after they “crossed the agreed line” separating the part of southern Lebanon that the Lebanese military is allowed in from the Israeli occupied rest of southern Lebanon, where they are evidently not permitted.
An Israeli flag hangs from a building in Lebanon as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, July 5, 2026 REUTERS
Lebanon suggested they believed the Israeli troops were opening fire on them to discourage them from deploying in Zawtar al-Gharibyeh at all, though they said they still intended to continue deployment into the area.
Elsewhere in southern Lebanon, a humanitarian aid convoy organized by French charity L’oeuvre d’Orient and coordinated with the UNIFIL peacekeepers in the area was denied entry to the Christian villages in the area by the Israeli military.
The high-profile convoy, which was to enter the villages with several major news organizations in tow, was told by Israeli forces they “didn’t have permission.” The convoy organizers said they were given permission, by the UNIFIL, but that didn’t matter. Reportedly Israeli forces took some of the aid and promised to drop it off on the outskirts of the Christian villages it was intended for, but details surrounding that remain uncertain.
