Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is pushing for a clear timetable for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory, as Hezbollah’s leader accuses Lebanon’s government of exposing the country’s own army to disgrace by pursuing the deal at all. According to a statement released by the prime minister’s office on Friday, Salam met United States ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa and General Joseph Clearfield, who heads the US military coordination group for Lebanon, to discuss the military track of the negotiation framework with Israel, along with the latest developments in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met the same US officials separately.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem hit back on Beirut’s remarks, accusing Lebanese officials of putting the army under “undue pressure” by implementing a non-functional agreement. He accused Israel of trying to bind Lebanon to an oversight body controlling the army’s deployment and internal operations. Qassem pointed out that Israel has kept striking homes and demolishing tunnels inside Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, the first designated pilot zone, despite the Lebanese army’s presence there.
He challenged officials to “name a single achievement from the seven rounds of negotiations”. US Ambassador Issa, meanwhile, told reporters Israeli attacks would stop only once Hezbollah disarms. The June trilateral framework, to which the US is also a party, involves the disarmament of Hezbollah and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon’s south, where it has occupied several areas.
The gap between the two sides remains wide. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed, as Israeli forces currently occupy multiple towns inside the Lebanese border. The Israeli military has continued to occupy Lebanon’s southern area, demolishing homes and displacing residents across the territory.
The next round of talks is expected to resume in early September. Lebanese authorities say Israel’s attacks since March 2 have killed 4,335 people, wounded 12,277 and displaced more than a million.
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