Lebanon, US, and Qatar Coordinate Efforts to Preserve Israel Truce
BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US Vice President JD Vance discussed a de‑confliction mechanism for Lebanon on Monday, as Vance said the move aims to prevent Israel‑Hezbollah violence from spiraling out of control.
The talks came after mediators Pakistan and Qatar announced that Tehran and Washington had agreed to set up a “de‑confliction cell” with Lebanon to ensure the cessation of military operations there, following a first round of US‑Iran talks in Switzerland.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israeli forces had been granted “full freedom” to engage any threat in southern Lebanon, reaffirming that troops would remain deployed as long as deemed necessary. “The IDF has no restrictions on this matter,” he said.
Lebanese officials have insisted that direct negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to the war, which has killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon since March 2. But four rounds of talks since April have failed to produce a durable ceasefire. The longest lull in fighting came this week after Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding that included Lebanon.
That deal has buoyed Hezbollah and dealt a blow to the Lebanese state, whose leaders had repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf. A Lebanese official told Reuters that the Iran‑US deal had “pulled the rug out from under” the Lebanese state, throwing into question the utility of its talks with Israel this week.
Lebanon heads into a new round of talks with Israel on Tuesday in Washington, seeking a timeline for Israeli withdrawal. A Lebanese official said Beirut would demand Israel present a “reasonable” timetable. Israel, meanwhile, sees the purpose of the talks as “disarming Hezbollah and achieving a genuine peace agreement.”
Hezbollah has rejected disarming in full and has called on the government to withdraw from direct talks with Israel, betting instead on Iran’s negotiations with the US. President Aoun stated: “We negotiate for ourselves, and we do not accept any other party doing so for us.”
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