US ambassador visits Lebanese army-held ‘pilot zone’ near Israel

The US ambassador to Lebanon visited the country’s south today, his embassy says, 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 held in parallel with the deployment of the Lebanese army, starting with so-called pilot zones, under the condition that the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah disarms.

An AFP correspondent sees 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.

U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa visited southern Lebanon today to assess conditions on the ground and see firsthand the progress and challenges in the pilot zones.
The United States remains committed to supporting the Government of Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces in… pic.twitter.com/0u4u6Vjfha

— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) September 15, 2026

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

It quotes him saying that his visit to the south allowed him “to witness firsthand the challenges facing its communities.”

“I deeply sympathize 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,” he says.

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