Israel and Lebanon hold Washington talks today on Hezbollah disarmament
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of Saff Eyal Zamir reaffirmed Israel's military presence in southern Lebanon would not change
Israeli and Lebanese delegations are holding another round of talks today in Washington focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the prospect of normalization. This, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirms that Israeli forces would remain in the south.
Israel's Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, is leading the political and diplomatic track, while Brigadier General Amichai Levin, head of the IDF Planning Directorate's Strategic Division, is leading separate military discussions. Lebanon's delegation is headed by Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Maawad and former ambassador Simon Karam. Ahead of the talks, a State Department official said, " We are enabling Israel and Lebanon to negotiate as two sovereign states and to find a way to have peace and security."
A central focus of the talks is a proposed pilot program under which the Lebanese Armed Forces would begin deploying to selected areas in southern Lebanon and dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure. A key dispute concerns where the program should start. Lebanon wants deployment in areas currently under Israeli military control, withdrawing as Lebanese forces move in. Israel insists the Lebanese Army must first demonstrate its ability to disarm Hezbollah in an area where Israeli forces are not present.
Separately, following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's call with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the US has launched a CENTCOM monitoring mechanism to give policymakers real-time information about fighting in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir issued a joint statement Monday evening making clear that Israel's military posture in Lebanon was not changing. "The IDF will continue to act with determination to thwart threats to our soldiers and citizens, to destroy terrorist infrastructure and to continue to maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon," the statement said.
When asked about Netanyahu's stance in the Oval Office, Trump said, "We are going to take a look at it. I am a problem solver; I can solve problems fast, including with Bibi."
Meanwhile, Qatar is looking to establish an indirect mediation channel between Israel and Hezbollah, without neglecting the official Lebanese side, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reports. According to the pro-Hezbollah outlet, Doha paved the way for this initiative through contacts with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah, as well as with the Saudis, before presenting it to the Americans in Switzerland.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of Iran's renewed involvement in Lebanon under US sponsorship following the latest round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland, where both sides agreed to establish a "deconfliction cell" to prevent further military operations in Lebanon.