A US military delegation will arrive in Beirut in the coming days to help establish two “pilot zones” in south Lebanon as part of a Washington-brokered plan between Israel and Lebanon, Michel Issa, US ambassador to Lebanon, said on Thursday.
The arrival of the delegation is “necessary to avoid any vacuum when the Israeli forces withdraw from the specified area”, Mr Issa said after meeting Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri.
The start date has yet to be determined “in light of the results of the co-ordination meetings”.
Mr Issa was referring to the next round of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Rome, set to take place on July 15 and 16. The latest round and the change in venue from Washington to the Italian capital were announced by Israel on Tuesday, with Lebanon not notified until Wednesday morning.
“What will happen in Rome is a continuation of what was agreed upon in Washington,” Mr Issa said. “Several meetings will be held in the Italian capital, or elsewhere, to follow up on implementation, according to the stages that will be agreed upon.”
Under the agreement signed on June 26, “pilot zones” will be established where the Lebanese army would deploy and assert full control as Hezbollah leaves, while Israeli forces would withdraw from those areas. The framework does not set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal.
It was quickly rejected by Hezbollah, while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the country's forces would remain in south Lebanon for “as long as necessary”.
“We did not ask permission from any party to enter Lebanon and we do not need permission to remain in Lebanon,” Mr Katz said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Israel has not shown any indication of preparing to withdraw from southern Lebanon, with persistent attacks indicating it is entrenching its military positions.
The Israeli army overnight shelled the strategic ridge of Ali Al Taher – which it had focused on taking over as it furthered its advance into southern Lebanon before the latest ceasefire framework paused fighting in June.
Negotiations at diplomatic level are not reflected on the ground where the situation remains fragile, as Israeli forces continue to demolish homes and villages, and attack southern Lebanon almost daily.
