Khaberni - After the fifth round of Lebanese-Israeli talks held yesterday in Washington, three Israeli officials confirmed that Israel and Lebanon are discussing a pilot project supported by the United States which involves Israeli forces handing over some southern lands to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The officials explained today, Wednesday, that the participating Lebanese forces will undergo American training and security vetting, as reported by Reuters.
In response, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed that defining "model zones" is still under discussion pending Israel's approval.
This came after a U.S. source told "Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath" on Tuesday that Israel's any withdrawal is contingent on field steps from the Lebanese side, affirming that the main disagreement in the negotiations centered around the mechanism of initiating the Israeli withdrawal from the south.
New round
Lebanon began a new round of talks with Israel in Washington yesterday amid its determination to proceed with direct negotiations, even though Tehran’s decision to include the Lebanese file in its negotiations with the United States casts a shadow over that round.
Lebanese officials insisted that direct negotiations with Israel are the only way to end the war that has been ongoing since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at northern Israel in support of Iran, leading to intense Israeli aerial and ground attacks that resulted in the death of more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.
However, four rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks since last April did not lead to a permanent ceasefire.
Instead, the longest period of calm this week prevailed in the fighting after Iran and the United States agreed on a memorandum of understanding that stipulates a halt to fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.
However, this agreement has strengthened the position of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and dealt a blow to the Lebanese state, whose leaders, including President Joseph Aoun, repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on behalf of Lebanon, according to "Reuters".
It should be noted that Lebanon has repeatedly declared that one of its main objectives in the talks is to ensure the Israeli military withdrawal, but top Israeli officials said that the forces will remain in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
