Lebanon and Israel are discussing a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to transfer some of the Lebanese territory invaded in their war with Hezbollah to Lebanon’s military, officials on both sides said, in a possible step towards restoring Lebanese control of occupied territory.
The proposed pilot project is part of the latest round of Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington, which are going ahead even after they appear to have been eclipsed by Iran’s move to make Lebanon central to its talks with the United States.
An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon on Wednesday killed at least two people, Lebanese security and medical sources told Reuters, despite a new ceasefire.
In response to questions from Reuters about the strike, the Israeli military said its air force had struck a vehicle carrying “suspects” into the zone controlled by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon in a separate incident.
Israeli forces have seized a swathe of southern Lebanon during the war that was ignited when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel in support of Tehran, days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
A ceasefire has largely held since Sunday, but Israeli forces are still deployed deep inside southern Lebanon, citing the need to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attack.
Facing an election by late October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel will keep its “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon as long as he remains prime minister.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told reporters in New York that Israel was looking to hand over some of the territory it was occupying to the Lebanese military, although it was unclear how much land Israel would withdraw from.
“Eventually, we want to pull back to the river and to allow the Lebanese military to take over those positions,” said Danon, referring to the Litani River about 30 km (19 miles) north of the border with Israel. Lebanon has said one of its key goals in the talks would be securing a full Israeli military withdrawal.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY TROOPS WOULD BE VETTED
The Israeli officials said the Lebanese troops involved in the U.S.-backed proposal would undergo U.S. training and vetting to ensure they are not linked to Hezbollah, while Israel would maintain a military presence in a buffer zone along the border.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was willing to help the Lebanese army build up the capacity to hold territory in south Lebanon but did not specifically address whether it would vet such troops.
“I think the willingness is there. I think we need to help build up that capacity,” Rubio told reporters in Kuwait City.
The concept focuses on “specific defined areas where the Lebanese Armed Forces can go in, take control, and secure that territory, and then move on to the next pilot zone,” Rubio said.
Asked about the Israeli officials’ comments, a senior Lebanese security official said discussions were ongoing in Washington and that specific military-to-military talks, including on the pilot zones, would take place on Wednesday.
The Lebanese official said the discussions would focus on a timeline for Israeli withdrawal and that any plan would emerge only after the final day of talks on Thursday.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said discussions on the proposed “pilot areas” were ongoing and awaiting Israeli approval, the Lebanese presidency said.
Lebanon’s army, which recruits from across the country’s sectarian mosaic, has long received U.S. military aid, part of U.S. policy to bolster government security institutions in a country where critics say Hezbollah has undermined the state.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim group established by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has consistently demanded the Lebanese government withdraw from the U.S.-backed talks with Israel — Beirut’s highest-level contacts with Israel in decades.
