Beirut is working towards a “complete Israeli withdrawal” from areas it occupies, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says during a visit to a village where Lebanon’s army recently deployed, AFP reports.

“We will continue mobilising our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from the south,” he said in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of several “pilot zones” intended to demonstrate that the Lebanese army can remove and disarm Hezbollah as part of a Washington-sponsored deal with Israel.

After planting a Lebanese flag in the village, Salam said that “in parallel with the army’s deployment, we will continue opening roads, removing rubble, and securing essential services, enabling our people to return safely and with dignity to their homes and villages”.