Qatar and Pakistan Announce Lebanon Deconfliction Mechanism as Iran Talks Advance in Switzerland

Qatar and Pakistan said they will establish a deconfliction mechanism in Lebanon, after the first high-level round of talks under a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding ended overnight in Switzerland. Their joint statement mentioned the new mechanism but did not mention Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that it would be "the real first test."

At 4:35, Araghchi said the mediation by Pakistan and Qatar had produced "significant progress" toward ending the war in Lebanon. He claimed exemptions were granted for oil and petrochemical exports, the blockade was lifted, some frozen assets were released, and a major program was launched to rebuild and develop Iran's economy. He repeated that the deconfliction cell in Lebanon would be the "real first test."

At 4:21, Iran's Foreign Ministry said the talks in Switzerland had made good progress, the negotiations between the teams were over, and technical teams would continue working. The article also reported remarks by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in closed discussions in recent days.

According to the report, Zamir warned that withdrawing from the "yellow line" would restore the threat of a Hezbollah raid. He said Israel had moved into southern Lebanon to remove two threats, anti-tank fire and the raid threat, which has especially worried residents along the confrontation line after October 7. Returning from the yellow line, he said, would mean seeing Hezbollah militants again beyond the fence.