Lebanese army says four wounded in explosion, not Israeli strike

The Lebanese military said on Wednesday that the explosion of an unknown object wounded a soldier and three civilians, after initially saying it was an Israeli strike.

"A soldier and three civilians were wounded in the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area as a result of an explosion while the army was escorting residents to inspect their properties in the area," the army said in a statement.

"Following investigations and an engineering inspection, it was determined that the incident was caused by the explosion of a suspicious object," it added.

The military had initially said the soldier and civilians were wounded by an Israeli strike on a military vehicle.

Iran-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East war in March by attacking Israel, which responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,300 people.

Lebanon and Israel concluded a framework agreement in June under US auspices, which 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".

Violence has decreased since the signing of the agreement and of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding earlier that month.

Lebanon's military deployed in two of the "pilot zones" in July, but the implementation of the agreement has been stalled since then.

In his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pushed for the agreement to be further implemented.

Hezbollah meanwhile refuses to lay down its weapons, and Israel still carries out strikes on Lebanon and occupies land in its south despite the agreement.