USA10 August, 20262 min read
Joseph Clearfield Expected in Beirut After US-Sponsored Talks With Israel in Rome
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Indirect talks in Rome mediated by the US report progress on border and prisoner issues. A US general is expected in Beirut, signaling continued American mediation.
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Clearfield heads to Beirut
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday there was positive progress on border and prisoner issues after US-sponsored indirect negotiations with Israel held in Rome, while the US State Department said both sides came closer to consensus on expanding the pilot zone process.
According to White House, U.S. General Joseph Clearfield is expected to travel to Beirut to help iron out remaining differences regarding the ceasefire and pilot areas.
Naharnet said US General Joseph Clearfield is expected to arrive in Lebanon on Monday from Israel, where he met with the Israeli army chief and military officials.
Naharnet added that during his talks with the Lebanese Army leadership he will tackle files related to the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, the second pilot zone, and the possible international force that could replace UNIFIL.
Negotiations pause, envoy moves
A VDL NEWS report said talks paused until September 1 while an American broker continued moving along the Beirut–Tel Aviv line to remove obstacles and prepare for an upcoming Italian round.
The same report said a senior political source told Nawa al-Watan that the American administration would take on two files—ceasefire and model areas—and that American General Joseph V. Clasapie would arrive in Beirut in the coming hours to follow up on their details.
VDL NEWS also said Israeli Channel 13 revealed that Centcom commander General Brad Cooper asked the Israeli leadership to withdraw from areas in southern Lebanon.
In the same account, the source said the seventh round of negotiations in the Italian capital dealt with four main files: ceasefire, demolishing and leveling homes, borders, and exchanging prisoners, and it described positive progress in the border and prisoner files.
What’s at stake next
Naharnet said Clearfield’s agenda in Lebanon includes the possible international force that could replace UNIFIL, alongside the second pilot zone and files tied to Lebanese-Israeli negotiations.
Myanmar International TV reported that Aoun cited constructive movement specifically regarding the border and prisoner files, while the US State Department said the sides came closer to consensus on expanding the pilot zone process.
VDL NEWS described Beirut as waiting for a high-level American envoy from the U.S. State Department to conduct bilateral negotiations in both Beirut and Tel Aviv to translate what was agreed during the seventh round in Rome into practical steps.
The VDL NEWS account also said the relationship between Baabda and Hizballah remains severed due to an absence of channels of communication, even as Sheikh Naim Qassem called for dialogue.