Lebanon, Israel explore pilot security zones
Israel and Lebanon are discussing a US-backed proposal under which Israeli forces would hand over parts of southern Lebanese territory occupied during the war with Hezbollah to the Lebanese army, officials from both sides said on Wednesday,
Diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Lebanon continued alongside a fragile ceasefire and a parallel regional diplomacy involving Iran and the United States that has increasingly focused on Lebanon's future security arrangements.
The proposed arrangement is being discussed during Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington and centres on the creation of pilot areas that would gradually be transferred to Lebanese military control, the officials said.
Israel seized a stretch of southern Lebanese territory during the conflict. Although a ceasefire has largely held since Sunday, Israeli forces remain deployed in parts of southern Lebanon, arguing that their presence is necessary to protect northern Israel from future attacks.
However, violence persisted on the ground. Lebanese security and medical sources said an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed at least two people on Wednesday despite the ceasefire. Israel said its air force had targeted two Hezbollah fighters near an area under its control.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said Israel was prepared to transfer some occupied territory to the Lebanese military, although he did not specify how much land would be involved. He said Israel ultimately wanted to withdraw to the Litani River and allow Lebanese forces to assume responsibility for positions in those areas.
Under the proposal, Israel would continue to maintain forces within a border buffer zone. Israeli officials said Lebanese troops participating in the proposed arrangement would undergo American training and vetting procedures to ensure they had no links to Hezbollah.
A senior Lebanese security official confirmed that discussions were continuing in Washington and said military-to-military talks, including those concerning the pilot areas, were expected to take place on Wednesday.
The official said negotiations were focusing on a timetable for Israeli withdrawal and indicated that any final framework would likely emerge only after the conclusion of talks on Thursday (today).
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also discussed the proposal with a British-German delegation, according to the presidency. The statement said discussions regarding the pilot areas were ongoing and awaiting Israeli approval.
The Lebanese army, which receives military assistance from the United States and recruits personnel from across Lebanon's sectarian communities, has long been viewed by Western governments as a key state institution capable of strengthening government authority.
Hezbollah, however, has repeatedly opposed the talks and has called on the Lebanese government to withdraw from what represent the highest-level contacts between Beirut and Israel in decades. REUTERS
The negotiations are unfolding against the backdrop of a broader understanding reached during recent US-Iran talks. Tehran included Lebanon in its interim agreement with Washington, under which all sides pledged an immediate and permanent end to military operations and committed themselves to preserving Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said this week that Lebanon was an integral part of the agreement and that it included the withdrawal of Israeli forces. A joint statement issued after US-Iran talks in Switzerland also announced plans to establish a "de-confliction cell" tasked with overseeing adherence to the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
Washington later confirmed its commitment to creating the mechanism, saying details of its operation were still being finalised. The concept of Lebanese army-controlled pilot zones had previously formed part of a ceasefire proposal agreed by Lebanese and Israeli officials earlier this month.