Beirut / Wassim Saif al-Din / Anadolu

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated on Thursday that his government is working to secure the components of a dignified return for residents of the south by providing temporary and transitional housing, including prefabricated homes, as part of a plan to facilitate the return of people to their villages and towns.

During a meeting he chaired to discuss practical steps to facilitate the return of southern residents, Salam emphasized, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office, that the goal of his visit to Zawtar al-Gharbiyye in the Nabatieh district in the south on Wednesday was to reassure the people of the south that 'the state will not be content with reclaiming the land, but will return with them and to them.'

He added that after 'the army and security deployment, work will continue on opening roads, removing rubble, and restoring basic services, leading to securing the components of a dignified return and temporary and transitional housing, including prefabricated homes.'

Salam affirmed that 'the people of the south will not be alone in this phase, as state ministries, institutions, and councils are mobilized to accomplish this task, and the state will be present with all its capabilities to launch the path of return and early recovery.'

On Wednesday, Salam visited the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyye in the Nabatieh district in the south, accompanied by Defense Minister Michel Menassa, Chief of Staff Hassan Odeh, Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council Mohammed al-Mustafa, Chairman of the Council for Development and Reconstruction Mohammed Qabbani, and other officials, to inspect the town a day after units of the Lebanese army began deploying there as part of the first phase of implementing the 'Framework Formula' agreement.

The Lebanese army announced on Tuesday the start of the deployment of its military units in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyye, within the framework of implementing the first phase of the 'Framework Formula' agreement, according to the mechanism resulting from the tripartite understanding between Lebanon, the United States, and Israel, which was reached in Rome.

Zawtar al-Gharbiyye is located south of the Litani River and is one of the pilot areas covered by the first phase of the agreement signed on June 26 of last year.

The agreement stipulates a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, starting with a model in pilot areas, with the Lebanese army assuming security responsibility in areas from which Israeli forces withdraw, along with the disarmament of armed groups, in reference to 'Hezbollah.'

On Monday, the US State Department announced the start of operations in the pilot area in the villages of Froun, Sarifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyye, according to the tripartite framework and under the auspices of the Special Military Coordination Group for Lebanon.

Since March 2, 2026, Israel has continued its aggression against Lebanon, resulting in the killing of 4,328 people and the injury of 12,230 others, in addition to the displacement of more than one million people, according to official data.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades, and others since the confrontations between 2023 and 2024, and it also penetrated more than 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory during the current aggression.