Lebanon army says Israeli forces fired near soldiers in south

Lebanon's military said Tuesday that Israeli troops fired near its soldiers deploying in a so-called "pilot zone" that Israel is to withdraw from under a US-backed agreement, with Israel saying it only fired "warning shots".

The announcements came as the Lebanese army said it was deploying in those areas, and as President Joseph Aoun visited Washington, which sponsored the deal with Israel, for a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Israel invaded Lebanon during its recent war with Iran-backed militants Hezbollah, and it has continued to occupy parts of the country despite a ceasefire.

To date, Israeli troops have only controlled the outskirts of one of the so-called pilot zones, with their occupation of other areas yet to be addressed.

The Lebanese military already has a presence in the other two pilot zones.

"Military units began deploying this morning to Zawtar al-Garhbiya" in the Nabatieh region, the army said in a statement.

An AFP correspondent saw military vehicles, one of them flying the Lebanese flag, entering the village which sits on the edge of what Israel has dubbed the "security zone".

But the Lebanese army later said Israeli forces "opened fire in the vicinity of these units," adding that the incident would hinder the deployment.

The Israeli military said it had only fired "warning shots into the air" after Lebanese soldiers entered an area that was "not part of the pilot area", and that no injuries were reported.

Insisting its troops were only deployed in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, the Lebanese army command said Israeli "should address any problem through the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L) and through the approved coordination and communication channels, instead of carrying out attacks".

In a separate incident, the Lebanese Red Cross said that two rescuers were wounded and an ambulance severely damaged when a landmine exploded near a convoy heading to search for a missing person in an occupied area.

The Red Cross said it had received the required permits before entering, and that it was working to provide a safe passage for the wounded paramedics.

Israel's invasion came after Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the wider Middle East war in March with rocket attacks on Israel in support of Iran.

Lebanon and Israel signed their framework agreement last month which aims for Israel's gradual withdrawal from Lebanon and the disarming of Hezbollah, with Lebanon's army taking over security in the south.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the deal and refuses to disarm, while there is no timetable for Israel's full withdrawal.

- 'Test' -

The US State Department on Monday evening announced that the Lebanese army had begun ensuring security in the villages of Zawtar al-Garhbiya, Froun and Srifa.

Israeli forces are not present in the latter two villages, which straddle the edge of the security zone, while they had deployed to the outskirts of Zawtar al-Garhbiya.

The Israeli military announced that it would "adjust its force posture in one of the pilot areas".

The Lebanese army's deployment into Israeli-occupied lands, which cover an area up to 10 kilometres (6 miles) deep into Lebanon's territory, constitutes a major test for the government, with experts expressing doubt over its ability to disarm Hezbollah.

Military expert Hassan Jouni said the military's deployment will be "a real test, first and foremost, of the Israeli army's seriousness about withdrawing" and "Hezbollah's position on the ground regarding this issue, as it rejects the principle of pilot zones and the agreement itself".

"The biggest challenge will be continuing withdrawals from other pilot zones that are actually occupied" by Israel, he added.