Iran Welcomes New Lebanon Ceasefire Cell as Israel Is Left Out

Hours after Pakistan and Qatar announced a new “de-escalation cell” for Lebanon, its structure and role remained unclear, but the move appears to revive an existing mechanism rather than create something entirely new. Lebanon has already had a similar arrangement involving the United States, the Lebanese government and Israel. What is clear is that Iran is directly involved in the new format alongside Lebanon, while Israel, according to the announcements, is not a direct participant.

Iranian state-linked outlet Tasnim celebrated the development, stressing that Iran is “part of the security story in Lebanon.” The agency repeated that a dispute-resolution unit would be established with Iran, the United States and Lebanon to oversee implementation of the first clause of the memorandum of understanding in Lebanon. The article notes that the ceasefire monitoring mechanism established in November 2024 failed in recent months as fighting resumed.

That monitoring body, chaired by an American general, was meant to supervise commitments by Israel and the Lebanese government, verify them and assist in implementation. Its tasks included disarming Hezbollah, something the Lebanese army says it completed in January, although developments in southern Lebanon suggest otherwise. The committee also tracked ceasefire violations, coordinated Lebanese army deployment and informed the Lebanese army about sites Israel said contained Hezbollah weapons or military facilities. It included the United States, Lebanon, Israel, France and UNIFIL.

The committee held 16 meetings in Naqoura, with its latest on February 25, attended only by military personnel even though civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel had already been added. Lebanon’s former ambassador to the United States, Simon Karam, was appointed as its civilian representative and now heads Lebanon’s delegation to direct talks with Israel expected to resume tomorrow in the United States. Since the start of Operation “The Lion’s Roar,” scheduled meetings in March, April and May were canceled, and the mechanism has effectively operated as a coordination room for movements in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah and its allies have repeatedly accused the body of cooperating with Israel, while Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc said in May that it had “failed in carrying out its role,” worsening Lebanese suffering. Recent incidents cited in the report include aid requests to reach a fire in Deir Mimas, claims that an IDF strike on June 6 killed two officers and a soldier whose movement had been coordinated through the mechanism, and the committee’s approval last week of power works near Kfar Houna. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun discussed the new arrangement today with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani, and his office said the talks focused on entrenching the ceasefire, stopping Israeli escalation and the steps needed, including creating the new cell.