Understandings Between Lebanon and Israel.. Military Coordination Under American Supervision

SadaNews - After the third round of talks held between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations in Washington last Friday, both parties agreed to extend the ceasefire that has been in effect since April 17 in Lebanon for an additional 45 days; however, Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon have not ceased.

Meanwhile, informed Israeli sources reported that the understandings with Lebanon discussed the establishment of a military coordination mechanism under American supervision.

It was also noted that the military coordination mechanism is set to be discussed in early June, according to what was reported by the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" on Sunday.

According to Israeli sources, this mechanism is also supposed to include intelligence cooperation. However, this coordination is still far from being realized.

It was pointed out that, practically, the discussions revolve around the continuation of the war within the constraints imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which prevent Israel from bombing Beirut and the Bekaa Valley in exchange for allowing it to continue attacking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

It is noteworthy that the talks held on Thursday and Friday in Washington were the third between Lebanon and Israel in recent weeks, aimed at stopping the war and determining the future of relations between the two countries.

While Israel emphasizes the priority of disarming Hezbollah and removing its threat from the borders, the Lebanese government insists on the necessity of halting Israeli airstrikes and withdrawing from the south.

In contrast, Hezbollah rejected any direct negotiations and called on the Lebanese state to withdraw from them. It insisted that it is not interested in any discussions regarding its weapons during the Washington talks.

He also called on the Lebanese authority in a statement issued yesterday, Saturday, "to stop the series of free concessions and abandon the illusions of the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with this aggressive, greedy, and occupying enemy," according to his statement.

For its part, the U.S. State Department announced that it will hold a new round of talks aimed at reaching a long-term political agreement on June 2 and 3. Prior to that, the Pentagon is scheduled to hold a meeting for military delegations from both countries on May 29.