A border village in southern Lebanon became the flashpoint for fresh tensions over the weekend, as Israeli troops moved in overnight and three Lebanese soldiers were wounded trying to clear unexploded ordnance. The incident in Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, a village designated as a pilot zone for a US-sponsored ceasefire framework, has drawn accusations of a violation from Lebanese officials even as the Israeli military denied any knowledge of the incursion. Main Developments According to Lebanon’s army, three soldiers were injured while defusing unexploded ordnance in Zawtar al-Gharbiyah on Saturday. Hours earlier, the village mayor and Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli troops had entered the village overnight and constructed an earth barrier. Mayor Abed Ezzeddine told the AFP news agency that residents were surprised to discover the barrier, located roughly 100 metres from the village square. The village had been placed under Lebanese army control as part of a June agreement with Israel, and a Lebanese military source called the move a violation of that framework accord. Read also: US Rejects China's 'Nature Reserve' Bid at Scarborough Reef The Israeli military, however, told AFP it was “not aware of such an event in this area.” An AFP correspondent confirmed seeing the barrier blocking a road at the village’s eastern entrance, while NNA reported that an “Israeli occupation army force advanced into the village … shortly after midnight.” Separately, Israel said a soldier was wounded in southern Lebanon on Saturday, with the military telling Channel 12 that the soldier sustained moderate injuries in an “operational incident” and was evacuated to hospital. Israel Army Radio reported that he was a combat engineer from the 607th Engineering Battalion, hit by shrapnel from Israeli fire in the border village of Tayri. Background Zawtar al-Gharbiyah is one of two “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army is deploying under a US-sponsored framework agreement signed with Israel on June 26. The agreement envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal in return for the disarmament of Hezbollah. The Lebanese army had deployed to the village on July 21, and around 50 families have since returned, Mayor Ezzeddine said. Israeli troops had been positioned on the outskirts of the village before that deployment, and the area has seen ongoing clearance efforts. Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tyre, Ihab al-Aqadi, reported that Israel had escalated the pace of its attacks over the past few days, in parallel with negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Rome. He described Zawtar al-Gharbiyah as a pilot area that the Lebanese army was trying to clear of mines, with teams also removing rubble to pave the way for residents to return. Why It Matters The incident highlights the fragility of the ceasefire framework, which hinges on Lebanese army deployment and Israeli withdrawal. Violations on either side could undermine the agreement and jeopardize the return of displaced residents. Al-Aqadi reported that the nearby town of Mansouri was shelled by Israeli artillery on Saturday, and had effectively remained sealed off by gunfire, with residents unable to return after evacuation orders and intermittent shelling. A bulldozer clearing roads there had been damaged by a bomb explosion the day before. The shelling and incursions extended across the frontier, al-Aqadi said, including Israeli bulldozing in occupied Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh towards the Ali al-Taher area of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, two drone strikes on open ground in Mayfadoun, and continued ground incursions in Kfar Shouba, in the Hasbaya district, and Haddatha in Bint Jbeil district. Villages along the line of contact, among them Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Mansouri, had become uninhabitable, he added. What's Next Lebanon and Israel concluded a seventh round of direct, US-mediated talks in Rome on Thursday. President Joseph Aoun said Beirut had made “positive progress” on border and prisoner issues. Al-Aqadi said Lebanon was holding firm on the ceasefire and pressing Israel to halt the destruction of border villages, while preparing for a new round of talks in September. The coming weeks will test whether the framework can withstand such incidents and whether displaced residents can safely return to their homes.