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Paris talks and conditions
Israeli ambassador to France Joshua Zarka said strengthening the Lebanese army is a “step in the right direction” because it would permit Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but he conditioned that withdrawal on support being translated into “concrete actions on the ground.”
“is a “step in the right direction.””
Zarka said Israel has become reluctant to listen to statements that are not matched by serious steps, and he stressed the need to prevent Hezbollah from regaining the ability to threaten Israeli security.
The Lebanese presidency previously announced a preparatory meeting in Paris for an international conference to support the Lebanese military establishment on September 17, with participation by chiefs of staff, experts, and representatives of governments and international organizations.
The Five-Party Committee—France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt—was slated to organize a conference to support the Lebanese army in March, but the outbreak of the war between Hezbollah and Israel led to its postponement.
After a war that lasted more than a year and ended with a November 2024 truce, the Lebanese government approved a plan to disarm Hezbollah, assigning implementation to the army with international pledges of necessary support, while preparations for the conference continue.
Security warnings and negotiations
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji confirmed he received security warnings that prevented him from consistently working at the ministry’s headquarters, after a well-informed source at the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Hezbollah was behind campaigns against him.
The source said Raji had been conducting ministry business from his home for two months for security reasons, “after receiving warnings to be vigilant during this period.”
In televised statements, the Lebanese foreign minister confirmed the warnings, according to the Lebanese News Agency, after reporters surrounded him with questions about his absence from negotiations with Israel and his appearances in foreign visits of the state.
Following renewed fighting between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah on March 2, Lebanon and Israel began direct talks under American mediation, which led to the signing of a framework agreement on June 21 that mainly stipulated disarmament of Hezbollah and gradual Israeli withdrawal from lands it occupies in southern Lebanon.
The same source said Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, rejects its disarmament and direct negotiations between the two countries, while on Wednesday Raji received the new French ambassador, Patrick Duriel, in a protocol visit.
Occupied south and the “security zone”
A BBC visit to occupied areas in southern Lebanon found a Lebanese army checkpoint near Naqoura and Israeli flags marking the beginning of occupied territories, where “no one can enter unless they are authorized by Israel.”
“no one can enter unless they are authorized by Israel”
The BBC reported that the sector currently controlled by Israel covers about 5 percent of Lebanese territory, extending up to 10 kilometers from the border in some areas, and that UNIFIL said the Israeli army established four new bases, bringing the total of these sites to nine.
UNIFIL spokesperson Candice Ardiel said: “In recent months we have seen increased fortification of Israeli sites and the establishment of protective infrastructure,” and she added that the BBC noticed people who appeared to be Israeli civilians carrying out demolition activities and engineering works in support of military activities.
The BBC said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued orders to the army to “take all necessary steps in preparation for a long-term presence in the area,” and it described official Israeli goals as establishing a “security zone” to protect communities in northern Israel from rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah.
A Lebanese intelligence official told the BBC that the Lebanese army has logged more than five thousand violations of the agreement by Israel, including airstrikes, drone attacks, shelling, and nearly daily incursions by Israeli soldiers into Lebanese territory outside the occupied area, known as the Green Line.