# South Lebanon border security and sovereignty dispute > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-lebanon-border-security-and-sovereignty-dispute > Updated: 2026-08-31T16:14:32.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. In South Lebanon, residents are increasingly abandoning villages in ‘yellow zones’—buffer areas along the Blue Line—due to economic instability, isolation, and fear of reprisals. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has engaged in diplomatic efforts to address the security situation. He initially proposed a three-step sequence involving an Israeli halt to operations and withdrawal to the international border, followed by the deployment of the Lebanese Army as the sole armed force south of the Litani River. However, Berri later explicitly rejected the establishment of any security buffer zone or security belt in southern Lebanon. He asserted that southern Lebanon is an integral part of the country and criticized previous negotiations that resulted in expanded occupied territories. Berri maintained that national unity and the Lebanese Army are non-negotiable, while also asserting Lebanon's right to prosecute Israel for what he termed ‘crimes of genocide’ in the south. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-31: Nabih Berri rejects security buffer zone in southern Lebanon Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri rejected any security buffer zone in southern Lebanon, warning that previous negotiations failed to stop Israeli expansion and emphasizing that national unity is a red line. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nabih-berri-rejects-security-buffer-zone-in-southern-lebanon ### 2026-08-20: South Lebanon: Families flee buffer zones as new withdrawal plan is proposed Families are fleeing South Lebanon's 'yellow zones' as Nabih Berri proposes a withdrawal sequence involving Israeli troop removal and the deployment of the Lebanese Army south of the Litani River. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-lebanon-families-flee-buffer-zones-as-new-withdrawal-plan-is-proposed --- Cite as: South Lebanon border security and sovereignty dispute. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-lebanon-border-security-and-sovereignty-dispute