US ambassador visits Lebanon army-held 'pilot zone' near Israel

The US ambassador to Lebanon visited the country's south on Tuesday, his embassy said, where he went to a village that recently came under the control of the Lebanese army following a deal with Israel.

The US-backed June agreement states that the Israeli military will withdraw from areas of south Lebanon it occupied in parallel with the deployment of the Lebanese army, starting with so-called pilot zones, under the condition that militant group Hezbollah disarms.

An AFP correspondent saw a convoy carrying the US envoy, Michel Issa, entering the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where he visited a church, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA).

The US embassy said that Issa "visited southern Lebanon today to assess conditions on the ground and see firsthand the progress and challenges in the pilot zones".

It quoted him saying that his visit to the south allowed him "to witness firsthand the challenges facing its communities".

"I deeply sympathise with residents who have endured displacement and uncertainty, and I understand their urgent desire to return home and rebuild their lives in safety and dignity."

The NNA said an Israeli drone surveyed the area during the visit and reported Israeli military vehicle movements in the neighbouring town.

Israeli troops remain deployed in what it calls a "security zone", a stretch of Lebanese territory about 10 kilometres (six miles) deep along the border.

It recently blew up a strategic Hezbollah location in the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, creating a blast so powerful that a 4.1 tremor was registered.

Fresh talks between Israel and Lebanon over the implementation of the framework agreement were due to be held this month, but were postponed to October.

A source from the Lebanese presidency told AFP that during the last round of talks in August, Israel refused to discuss new "pilot zones" without ensuring that the Lebanese army had full control of the first ones.

The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington are due to meet this week to discuss the implementation of the agreement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also visited Zawtar al-Gharbiya on Saturday, where his office said he inspected army units and observed nearby Israeli military positions.

Violence declined following the June framework agreement and a wider US-Iran deal, but Israel has pressed its attacks on Lebanon.

Hezbollah, which pulled Lebanon into the war in March with strikes on Israel, rejects the negotiations with Israel and refuses to disarm, but has not claimed any recent attacks.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people since the hostilities began in March, according to Lebanese authorities.