Lebanon's president pledges Israeli withdrawal on visit to south

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pledged to achieve an Israeli withdrawal and rebuild the area during a surprise visit to the country's south on Saturday, after Israel captured and blew up a nearby Hezbollah position.

Official Lebanese media said he arrived in the city of Nabatieh unannounced and accompanied by security officials including army chief Rodolphe Haykal.

His visit comes a day after a senior US diplomatic official said a new round of US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon, initially scheduled for next week, had been pushed back to October.

Aoun expressed solidarity with locals in Nabatieh who greeted him on Saturday, according to footage broadcast by Lebanese media.

He praised staff at Nabatieh Governmental Hospital, saying they were risking their lives to provide medical services in the area, which most people have fled.

Many government buildings and major sites have been destroyed in the city since fighting broke out between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in March.

The visit was Aoun's first to the south since the war began.

"We stand by your side, and we are looking into how to provide all the necessary services so that you can remain here safely," he said, according to a statement from the presidency.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah had eased off between late June and last week, thanks to a US-sponsored framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon as well as a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in the wider Middle East war.

But the Israeli army has in recent days stepped up attacks again, particularly in the Nabatieh region.

On Thursday it blew up underground Hezbollah fortifications on the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge after seizing the site, which lies a few kilometres from Nabatieh city.

The explosion was large enough to trigger a tremor detected by seismic monitoring agencies.

Israeli strikes in the area have killed at least 29 people in the last few days, including 12 members of the same family.

The Lebanese army, which has deployed in Nabatieh city, warned on Wednesday that Israel's actions threatened the implementation of the framework agreement.

The agreement involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones".

"The withdrawal of Israel, the return of prisoners and displaced people, as well as reconstruction, are national constants that the state is committed to implementing," Aoun said on Saturday.

After Nabatieh, the president travelled to Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of the pilot zones, where he inspected Lebanese army units and observed nearby positions of the Israeli military, the presidency said.

A video released by the presidency showed him walking through the area and speaking with locals and soldiers.