Israel and Lebanon are continuing talks on Wednesday at the U.S. State Department at the military-professional level, in an effort to advance understandings on new security mechanisms in southern Lebanon. The main focus is the question of so-called pilot areas in the south, where new models of force deployment and security responsibility are supposed to be tested.
People familiar with the negotiations said the session held on Tuesday was “difficult, complex and without real progress.” According to those sources, the United States is applying significant pressure on both sides, because the current round is seen as especially important in efforts to shape a broader arrangement on the northern border.
In the previous round, an initial understanding was reached on pilot zones around Beaufort Castle and two additional inhabited areas. Since then, conditions on the ground have changed, making the talks more complicated. Although an initial draft of a statement of intent has already been written, sources involved in the negotiations stressed that there is still no certainty an საბოლო final agreement will be reached.
American officials involved in the talks expressed frustration over the relative stalemate and urged both sides to show flexibility and deliver practical progress on the ground. In parallel, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper is expected to visit Israel for meetings with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz, at Zamir’s invitation. The meeting date has not yet been set, but the visit has been announced tentatively.
