After Iran and the United States of America announced the collapse of the understanding that they had reached through Pakistani mediation, the separation of the Iranian arena from the Lebanese arena was achieved in deed and not in words. After the first point of the American-Iranian understanding stipulated the cessation of wars on all fronts, including the Lebanese front, today the bet has shifted to the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations that are taking place under American auspices and have produced an understanding on a ceasefire for a period of sixty days, despite the fact that Israel, as it has always done, did not respect this agreement and it is doubtful that It adheres to it despite great American pressure in this regard.
However, the words conveyed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, about the positive results expected from the visit of the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, to Washington, which will culminate today in a meeting with US President Donald Trump, indicate that the framework agreement that was reached may witness a positive development, represented by the Israeli withdrawal from the experimental areas and the deployment of the Lebanese army to carry out its mission to confine weapons and prevent the presence of “Hezbollah” elements in the areas that it will take over, not to mention the great possibilities that the US President will give his Lebanese counterpart Promises to ensure Israeli withdrawal and intensify operations to support the army with the modern equipment and technology it needs to allow it to impose its control on the ground.
If the framework agreement includes provisions that are not compatible with the highest Lebanese interest, which are the points that President Walid Jumblatt included in the memorandum that he submitted to the sectarian council of the Druze sect, then President Aoun will likely seek, in his discussions with President Trump, to clarify the outstanding points in the agreement, and to amend them so that they gain the approval of all pillars of power in Lebanon, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who previously announced his welcome of any agreement to stabilize the ceasefire. And the return of displaced southerners to their villages and towns, regardless of who guarantees this.
However, the news published by the website “Axios” yesterday evening, which included information from the US State Department stating that Israeli forces would begin implementing the withdrawal from the experimental areas designated in the western villages of Faron, Srifa, and Zawtar, spread a kind of cautious optimism about the extent of Israel’s commitment to this plan, and will the success of this step be a prelude to expanding it in the coming period?
US State Department
The US State Department announced yesterday afternoon that “operations in the experimental areas in southern Lebanon began today (yesterday), and include the villages of Faron, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya.”
US State Department spokesman Thomas Pigot explained in a statement published by the US Embassy in Beirut via its “X” account, “These operations come in accordance with the tripartite framework, and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon.”
He said: “This achievement is a direct result of last week’s talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The United States will continue to work closely with both parties to successfully implement the framework.”
However, the “Axios” website again published news stating that the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the experimental areas in southern Lebanon will begin tomorrow (today), Tuesday, which dashed the optimism that had prevailed following the Foreign Ministry’s statement regarding the conflicting dates that Israel would have to adhere to.
President Aoun
President Aoun culminates his visit to the United States today by meeting with the US President after he had met with Minister Rubio, who, according to the US State Department statement, praised “the courage of the Lebanese government, under the leadership of President Aoun, and its determined efforts to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move toward peace,” while Ambassador Issa described the meeting as “a success.”
The Presidency of the Republic also reported through its account on the “X” platform that a call took place between President Aoun and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, during which the latest developments at the Lebanese and regional levels were discussed. The Prince affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s support for Lebanon in this particular circumstance and the options adopted by President Aoun for the sake of Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
The Crown Prince renewed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s determination to assist in all areas that Lebanon needs within the priorities set by the Lebanese government, extending an invitation to President Aoun to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss all issues of interest to the two countries.
President Aoun thanked Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his positions in support of Lebanon and the measures he took to help and strengthen its economy. He also thanked him for the invitation extended to him to visit the Kingdom, promising to honor it.
Iran’s war expands
For the ninth day in a row, American strikes continued on military and security sites in Iran, while the latter responded by bombing what it considered “American bases” in the territories of the State of Kuwait, Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Jordan. In an indication that Iran intends to expand the base of participation of its military arms in the region in the war in defense of its regime, it apparently instructed its ally, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Yemen, to target the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which warns that the entire region may enter into the furnace of the Iranian war, as the Gulf Cooperation Council statement was clear about the necessity of holding Iran accountable for its attacks on the Gulf states.
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