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US-led ceasefire monitoring team convenes in Lebanon for discussions
A US-led ceasefire monitoring team is meeting in the Lebanese border town of Naqoura. The meeting will also be attended by US deputy special envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, who was in Israel on Tuesday for talks focused on Lebanon.
Historic shift as ex-ambassador heads Lebanon-Israel discussions
Today’s meeting in southern Lebanon is significant. For the first time, Lebanon’s delegation will be headed not by a military official but a civilian – a diplomat, Lebanon’s former ambassador to the US, Simon Karam.
This is a proposal the US put on the table a few weeks ago for civilians to take part in these talks as Lebanon is under diplomatic pressure to engage in direct talks with Israel. But this is a very divisive and sensitive issue in Lebanon, where many people see Israel as the enemy. So sending a civilian to the meeting is seen as a concession from the Lebanese government.
A few weeks ago, President Joseph Aoun said more than once that Lebanon offered to hold negotiation with Israel, saying that the country had no choice – but he never mentioned “direct talks”. Under this mechanism, you are going to have Lebanese and Israeli – as well as French, US and UN – officials discussing security issues and what is going on in the south.
Hezbollah’s position has been very clear: no direct talks with Israel, no full disarmament – which the group considers a surrender. It says that every political concession made by the Lebanese government to date did not achieve much and did not stop Israeli strikes.
Israel sends envoy to Lebanon for economic talks
PM Netanyahu has instructed the National Security Council’s acting director to send a representative on his behalf to meet officials in Lebanon to establish economic cooperation between the two countries.
This comes as the Lebanese government is under growing US pressure to engage in direct talks with Israel – a highly divisive issue in the country.
Israel and Hezbollah entered a US-brokered ceasefire agreement last year, but Israel has not halted strikes against Lebanon, especially in the country’s south, where it claims that Hezbollah is rearming.
