It is not known when – or whether – a proposed “de-confliction” group involving the US, Iran and Lebanon aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah will convene, according to a senior Lebanese diplomatic source and a US source familiar with the matter.
Lebanon has informed the US that it is prepared to participate in any related meetings, the sources told The National, but has not yet received details from Washington on the mechanism itself, including its structure or the level of representation required.
“It is still undecided whether Lebanese participation would be at a political or military level,” said the diplomatic source. “The focus for both the Lebanese government and the US is currently the trilateral framework signed between Lebanon, Israel and the US, rather than the proposed de-confliction cell.”
As part of the US-Iran interim deal signed last month, with negotiations led by Vice President JD Vance on the US side, a Lebanon de-confliction mechanism emerged. The mechanism is designed to provide a channel for communication between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, and help prevent isolated incidents from escalating into violence. The cell includes the US, Lebanon and Iran, facilitated by mediators Qatar and Pakistan, which also mediated the US-Iran agreement. Israel is not part of the cell.
A few days later, the trilateral framework was signed at the US State Department in Washington in the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The mood was tense in Beirut and Israel before the framework was signed,” said the US source.
In Beirut, there was a sense that the mechanism involving Iran would give Tehran leverage to negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf. Lebanese representatives had held several rounds of direct talks with Israeli representatives before the trilateral framework was reached. The framework was welcomed by many in Lebanon, Washington, Europe and across the region as a step towards restoring Lebanese sovereignty, although critics in Beirut argued it did not adequately safeguard the country's interests.
The sources said the deconfliction cell would initially monitor ceasefire violations.
A source close to Hezbollah told The National that the American side is “avoiding reviving the idea of the de-confliction cell because doing so would force it to pressure Israel”.
“If Washington wants to demonstrate good faith, it must honour the commitments it made regarding the cell and other matters,” added the source.
The US and Iran held indirect technical talks in Qatar this week. The talks are based on the 14-point accord that was meant to halt the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while setting up 60 days of negotiations for a permanent peace deal. Discussions in Doha focused on the vital waterway.
Reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon had been a contentious issue that threatened to derail the US-Iran agreement several times.
Hezbollah resumed war with Israel in March in support of Iran as it came under attack from the US and Israel. The Israeli military responded with relentless bombardment and invaded parts of southern Lebanon. Israel has continued to carry out strikes in the south despite the trilateral framework.
Under the framework, the US would provide support, including money, to the Lebanese army to enable it to establish full security control in Lebanon and disarm all non-state actors. Israel would carry out a phased and conditions-based redeployment from Lebanese territory when an agreed and verifiable disarmament process is completed.
Beirut has pledged to place all weapons under state control and dismantle Hezbollah’s military arsenal, but efforts to disarm the powerful militia, both domestically and internationally, have repeatedly stalled, hampered by Hezbollah’s military strength, its backing from Iran and the Lebanese army’s limited capabilities.
