BEIRUT: Lebanon is preparing for a seventh round of US-mediated negotiations with Israel in Rome on Tuesday amid cautious hopes of progress, despite continued Israeli military escalation in the south.
Lebanese expectations range from deep pessimism over the prospect of securing further Israeli withdrawals to guarded optimism that Washington could exert greater pressure on Israel.
Israel has continued demolition and destruction operations in southern Lebanese towns despite the framework agreement signed with Lebanon under US sponsorship.
A Lebanese official familiar with the negotiations told Arab News that Beirut had “no diplomatic option other than to uphold the framework agreement and avoid being drawn into the escalation Israel is seeking.”
The official described developments in the south as “deeply troubling,” saying there were questions over Israel’s failure to respond to expected US pressure.
The Lebanese delegation arrived in Rome on Monday, headed by Ambassador Simon Karam. It includes Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and a six-member military team.
Antoine Sfeir, legal adviser to the Lebanese presidency, and sworn expert Najib Messihi also joined the delegation.
Messihi previously participated in negotiations to demarcate the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel.
The official said his participation would provide legal and technical support should proposals arise concerning the land border or Israeli withdrawals.
US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, who will not take part in the Rome talks, expressed hope that the Lebanese and Israeli governments would reach positive results.
“There is still a considerable amount of technical work required to ensure the safety of civilians on the ground,” he said.
Issa said there was “a fundamental difference between drafting an agreement on paper and implementing it responsibly,” warning that moving too quickly could endanger the civilians the process was intended to protect.
“Taking the necessary time to carry out this work correctly from the outset is the best option,” he said. “This will allow subsequent pilot zones to be launched more efficiently.”
He stressed that both sides must agree on “a clear and practical mechanism” before proceeding to the next phase.
The Lebanese delegation is expected to present evidence that Israel has failed to comply with the arrangements governing the first pilot zone and has shown little willingness to ensure the negotiations succeed.
Under its instructions from Beirut, the delegation will seek agreement on new Israeli withdrawals from occupied southern towns before discussing other issues.
Lebanon argues that Israel is taking part in the talks while failing to implement their provisions.
Ahead of the negotiations, Dmitry Gendelman, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said progress under the framework agreement was possible only if concrete steps were taken to disarm Hezbollah.
“As long as the threat remains, the Israeli army will continue carrying out its missions along our northern border,” he said.
Lebanese media reported that the three-day negotiations could include proposals for Israeli withdrawals from key areas, including Bint Jbeil, Khiam and Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.
The withdrawals would form part of the second phase of the pilot-zone plan and would allow the Lebanese army to deploy in those areas.
The army deployed last week in Zawtar Al-Gharbiyah, on the northern edge of the Litani River.
The town occupies a strategic position overlooking the area south of the river and connecting to Wadi Al-Salouqi, Qantara and Deir Siryan in the Marjayoun district.
It lies beside the so-called yellow zone. Israeli forces have stopped entering Zawtar Al-Gharbiyah but remain in nearby Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah, which falls within that zone.
The Lebanese army has also deployed in Froun and Srifa.
A Lebanese military source told Arab News that the army had fulfilled its responsibilities during the first pilot-zone operation, including deployment, engineering work and other field duties, but said Israel had failed to comply.
“The violations are continuing,” the source said. “Gunfire that had previously occurred close to us is now targeting us inside the pilot zone.
“The explosions in Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah and the booby traps being planted only meters from our positions are a source of concern.”
The source said the Lebanese army does not publicly disclose what it discovers or seizes in areas where it deploys.
Abdel Ezzeddine, mayor of Zawtar Al-Gharbiyah, said the army was carrying out its duties fully and coordinating with the municipality daily.
“The army is providing field support to secure water supplies and the machinery needed to reopen roads, including bulldozers and engineering vehicles,” he told Arab News.
“We have reopened all the roads and facilitated the movement of residents. We hope the return of all residents to their homes will accelerate.
“The Lebanese army is the principal guarantee and source of reassurance for the return of residents and the restoration of stability in Zawtar Al-Gharbiyah.”
Israel has described the first phase of the pilot-zone plan as a “test of sovereignty” and of the Lebanese army’s ability to impose state authority as the only institution permitted to carry weapons in those areas.
Israel has also demanded assurances that Lebanese state institutions prevent any armed presence outside state control in areas from which its forces withdraw.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corp. reported that the Lebanese army had discovered a Hezbollah weapons depot in one of the pilot areas.
It said the coordination mechanism, which includes the US, Lebanon and Israel, had been informed of the discovery.
The mechanism is responsible for addressing complaints and field violations and coordinating between the parties to prevent security incidents from escalating into a wider confrontation.
There was fresh escalation in southern Lebanon on Monday as Israeli operations continued south of the Litani River.
Large explosions were reported on the outskirts of Mansouri and Majdal Zoun.
A security source told Arab News that the blast targeted a Hezbollah tunnel and involved an estimated 80 tonnes of explosives. The scale of the damage was not immediately known.
Israel on Saturday destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel network near Beaufort Castle, using an estimated 700 tonnes of explosives.
The blasts caused tremors felt across several parts of southern Lebanon and as far as areas of Mount Lebanon and Beirut.
During a visit to the army’s South Litani Sector Command, the Fifth Infantry Brigade and the Fifth Intervention Regiment at the weekend, army commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal rejected Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory.
“Every inch of our land is our right,” he said, adding that the army would continue supporting the return of residents to their villages despite the challenges.
He said protecting Lebanon and its sovereignty was the responsibility of the state and that the army would remain the legitimate force defending the country and preserving stability.
Israel has continued to link its withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said on Monday that the framework agreement did not set a fixed timetable and linked withdrawal, the return of displaced residents and reconstruction to the disarmament of what he called the resistance and Israeli verification of the results.
“Neither you nor the armies you threaten us with are capable of disarming the resistance, and we will not hand over the weapons,” he said.
“Any army that comes to our country with the mission of disarming the resistance is an occupying army.”
