After the fifth round of talks between Lebanon and Israel, held yesterday in Washington, three Israeli officials told Al Arabiya that the two sides are discussing a US-backed plan under which Israeli forces would transfer areas in southern Lebanon to Lebanese forces. Officials said the Lebanese troops involved would undergo US training and security vetting, according to Reuters.
A US source told Al Arabiya on Tuesday that Israel is tying any withdrawal to concrete steps on the ground by the Lebanese side, and said the main dispute in the talks is the mechanism for starting an Israeli pullback from the south. Lebanon began a new round of direct talks with Israel in Washington yesterday, insisting on direct negotiations despite Tehran’s decision to include the Lebanese issue in its talks with the United States, which cast a shadow over the process.
Lebanese officials said direct talks with Israel are the only way to end the war that has raged since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into northern Israel in support of Iran, triggering intense Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon. However, four rounds of talks since last April have failed to produce a lasting ceasefire.
The longest lull in the fighting came this week after Iran and the United States agreed on a memorandum of understanding calling for an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Even so, the deal strengthened the Iran-backed Hezbollah and dealt a blow to Lebanon’s state leadership, including President Joseph Aoun, who has repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf. Separately, Israel Hayom reported that a major terror tunnel in southern Lebanon was not destroyed because of a political restriction, even though forces had already begun preparing to demolish it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said two days ago that troops in southern Lebanon have “full freedom of action” to foil any direct or emerging threat, and that the IDF faces “no restriction” on the matter. Former chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot said at the Muni Expo 2026 conference that there has been no approval to blow up tunnels in recent days.
