Lebanonupdated 1h ago3 min read
Lebanon Proposes Halting Escalation and Israeli Withdrawal in Tampa CENTCOM Talks
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Lebanon and Israel hold trilateral security talks at CENTCOM in Tampa under U.S. sponsorship. Lebanon demands halting escalation and Israeli withdrawal as part of the talks.
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Tampa talks resume
A trilateral military meeting continued at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, after it started at four o’clock this afternoon, Beirut time, with a Lebanese delegation and representatives from the United States and Israel to discuss security arrangements in southern Lebanon and Lebanon’s demands to halt the escalation and withdraw Israeli forces.
Lebanon’s negotiating delegation proposed stopping excavation work, the demolition of homes, firing, and Israeli military operations, and organizing the withdrawal from Lebanese territories, while also addressing the prisoners’ file and facilitating the return of residents to their villages.
Diplomatic sources said the main point of discussion concerned who is authorized to verify the implementation of security arrangements, their powers, and the mechanism of their work, with Israel requesting a direct operations room with the Lebanese army to verify the absence of Hezbollah weapons and military facilities in the testing areas.
Lebanon’s reservations focused on avoiding any format that grants the Israeli side a direct role in monitoring Army movements or influencing its on-ground decisions, and the talks also covered testing areas including Fron, Sarife, and Zgharta al-Sharqiya.
UNIFIL confirmed its continued commitment to supporting peace and stability by carrying out its duties under Resolution 1701, including monitoring developments and reporting violations to the Security Council and facilitating humanitarian missions.
Verification and delegation
Technical military meetings between Lebanon and Israel were held today, Tuesday, at the American Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and the meetings came within the framework of American efforts to follow up on the implementation of the tripartite framework signed in Washington. Al-Araby Al-Jadid reported that technical military meetings between Lebanon and Israel were held at the American Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and that the meetings come within the framework of American efforts to follow up on the implementation of the tripartite framework signed in Washington. Al-Anhar said the Lebanese delegation included three officers from the team that participated in the previous rounds, instead of six, and that the meetings would last two days, with the first day devoted to assessing what has been implemented since the last meetings.
Al-Anhar also said Israel was demanding the creation of a direct operations room with the Lebanese army to verify the clearance of the demonstration areas of Hezbollah weapons and its military installations, while Lebanon was wary of any formula that grants the Israeli side a direct role in monitoring the army’s movements or influencing its field decisions. Ash-Sharq Al-Akhbar added that a Lebanese military delegation would participate on Tuesday in negotiations with Israel limited to the military level without political participation, and it said the delegation would raise files including the continued Israeli attacks and Israeli violations of the framework agreement and verification mechanism.
Occupation stakes
Israel Katz threatened to make its occupation in southern Lebanon permanent, stating that the army would not withdraw from the areas it currently controls and affirming that the Zionist entity is applying the “Gaza model.”
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said at least 4,389 people were killed and 12,424 wounded since last March 2 due to Israeli hostilities, and the United Nations estimated approximately 330,000 people remain displaced in addition to the 200,000 residents forced to leave the occupied area.
Katz warned of an advance toward Nabatieh and the Litani River if new attacks are launched, and Katz said: “All the villages have been razed. This is the Gaza model, and this is the model we are applying.”
The Jerusalem Post said the MacDill Air Force Base meeting aimed to continue the implementation of the U.S.-brokered framework agreement, which includes the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization, and it said the agenda was reportedly focused on security rather than normalization.
Al-Anhar reported that the meetings gain additional significance as they discuss the future of security arrangements after UNIFIL’s mission ends, and they consider a proposal for an international fact-finding committee that could include European and Arab countries.