Turkey Proposes Troop Deployment on Israel-Lebanon Border Amid Hezbollah Disarmament Talks

Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar reports that Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently discussed a plan to remove Hezbollah's heavy weapons from Lebanon. The proposal involves transferring these arms to Iran, coordinated between Ankara and Tehran, in exchange for Israel fully withdrawing from southern Lebanon and committing to cease future attacks there.

The talks took place in Ankara at the end of last month, aiming to link Hezbollah's military disarmament with Lebanon's demand for Israeli withdrawal. The plan reportedly includes guarantees from the United States and other countries that Israel will not resume military operations in Lebanon after the agreement is implemented. Hezbollah has yet to respond to the proposal.

Discussions also consider that Hezbollah might retain light and medium weapons initially, with their fate to be resolved separately between the group and the Lebanese government. Hezbollah is awaiting developments in US-Iran negotiations, hoping broader agreements, including on the Strait of Hormuz, will facilitate progress in Lebanon.

Another unresolved issue is the identity of the international force to be deployed along the Israel-Lebanon border to monitor the agreement. Turkey has expressed willingness to participate but insists on coordination with Iran and clarity on US-Iran relations. Ankara has proposed deploying Turkish troops in southern Lebanon as part of the monitoring mechanism but demands prior coordination with Washington and clear operational rules with Israel, emphasizing the need to avoid Turkish casualties from Israeli fire.

So far, no agreement has been reached: Israel has not committed to a full withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah has not accepted the disarmament framework. Turkey remains concerned about expanding Israeli military activity from southern Lebanon into southern Syria and Gaza and has warned Syria against sending forces to Lebanon to confront Hezbollah.