US envoy tours south Lebanon village inside Israel-Hezbollah pilot zone
US Ambassador Michel Issa toured Zawtar al-Gharbieh in southern Lebanon, a village within the US-brokered pilot zone, as talks on Hezbollah's disarmament remain deadlocked.
US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa toured the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh on Tuesday, accompanied by a delegation from the Council for Development and Reconstruction and moving under heavy security.
The visit began at the Church of the Annunciation, after which Issa travelled to the recently renovated Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr bridge before returning to the village square. A convoy of vehicles was seen arriving and departing the area.
Zawtar al-Gharbieh falls within the "pilot zones" arrangement brokered by Washington, under which Israel agreed to pull back from the area in return for the disarmament of Hezbollah. The trip follows a visit to the same region by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun several days earlier.
It also comes as Israeli attacks continue in southern Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel have held several rounds of direct negotiations in Washington and Rome, and the State Department announced last Friday that the next round will take place in Rome in October.
Hezbollah has rejected direct talks with Israel and has urged the government to scrap the framework agreement reached in June. The group has also declined to call for its own disarmament, leaving the central bargain of the pilot-zone arrangement unresolved.