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Talks hinge on disarmament
Israel’s representative to renewed talks with Lebanon warned Tuesday that the fifth round of negotiations had become a “train wreck” because the premise of removing Iran’s influence and dismantling Hezbollah appeared to be slipping from the agenda.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said, “Today, that train is at risk of coming off the rails,” and argued that the central discussion must be about Lebanon and Hezbollah rather than how much Iran can restrain Hezbollah.
Leiter also tied the talks to a ceasefire framework, saying, “We agreed to a ceasefire conditioned on Hezbollah withdrawing north,” and insisted, “We cannot allow commitments to evaporate.”
In Washington, Israeli and Lebanese delegations were set to meet over the next three days on disarmament of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and normalization prospects, with Israel’s Ambassador Yechiel Leiter leading the political track and Brig.-Gen. Amichai Levin leading military discussions.
The proposed pilot program would have the Lebanese Armed Forces begin deploying to selected areas in southern Lebanon and dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure there, with a key dispute over where the program should start.
U.S. role and Lebanese sovereignty
U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea that U.S. talks with Iran were not aimed at giving Tehran any role in determining Lebanon’s future, but to ensure Iran pressures Hezbollah to abide by its commitments and obligations.
Geagea said Vance’s letter responded to his appeal to support the Lebanese state and separate Lebanese negotiations from U.S.-Iran talks, and Geagea argued Vance stressed Washington’s will to work with the Lebanese state to protect its sovereignty and consolidate its legitimate authority.
A State Department official told i24NEWS that, “We are enabling Israel and Lebanon to negotiate as two sovereign states and to find a way to have peace and security.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that, although Lebanese President Joseph Aoun publicly welcomed the deconfliction cell initiative, “senior Lebanese officials have privately questioned why the United States is facilitating renewed Iranian influence in Lebanon.”
In the same reporting, the Jerusalem Post said another concern expressed by Lebanese officials was that Iran’s renewed role could encourage Hezbollah to refuse cooperation with any disarmament initiative.
What comes next in Washington
Israel’s position in the pilot program dispute was that the first phase should begin in an area of southern Lebanon where Israeli forces were not currently deployed, and Israeli officials said they first wanted to see the Lebanese Army demonstrate its ability to disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its infrastructure.
The Jerusalem Post described the talks as taking place against the backdrop of Iran’s renewed involvement in Lebanon under U.S. sponsorship, after Iran and the United States agreed to establish a “deconfliction cell” in Lebanon to prevent further military operations.
The joint statement quoted by The Jerusalem Post said, “The parties agreed on the creation of a de-confliction cell,” and it said the cell would be “facilitated by the Mediators” to ensure adherence to the termination of military operations in Lebanon.
In parallel, i24NEWS reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir issued a joint statement making clear that “The IDF will continue to act with determination to thwart threats to our soldiers and citizens.”
The U.S. and Israel-Lebanon negotiations were also framed by a House resolution introduced by Reps. Mike Lawler and Josh Gottheimer calling on the Lebanese government to ensure Hezbollah immediately ceases all attacks and disarms in accordance with the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
