Lebanon-Israel Talks Stall Over Israeli Withdrawal From South Lebanon

A U.S. source told Al Arabiya overnight that the latest Lebanon-Israel meeting has reached an impasse because Israel has not withdrawn from southern Lebanon. The source said the Lebanese side is demanding a clear timetable for an Israeli pullback, while Washington is pushing for an agreement that would include a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the south.

On Thursday, senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied any Israeli withdrawal from the security zone in southern Lebanon, after a U.S. official had said Israel had pulled back some forces from the area as a goodwill gesture toward the Lebanese government. An Israeli source told a Saudi newspaper that Israel will not withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.

The two sides are discussing a U.S.-backed proposal under which IDF forces would hand over part of the Lebanese territory they captured during the war with Hezbollah to the Lebanese army, as part of a process meant to restore Lebanese control over the occupied areas. The proposed creation of a "pilot area" is part of the latest round of talks in Washington.

According to reports from Lebanon, the momentum behind the talks has weakened as Iran seeks to fold the Lebanon issue into its own negotiations with the United States. Lebanese media also said the death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2 and through Thursday has risen to 4,230 killed and 12,179 wounded.