Lebanon to Reject Direct Military Coordination with Israel at Florida Talks, Citing Need for US Mediation

Lebanon is set to refuse proposals, backed by the United States, for its military forces to coordinate directly with the Israeli army during upcoming talks in Florida. Officials indicated that significant progress is unlikely before Israel's legislative elections next week.

The current round of direct discussions, involving Lebanese and Israeli military delegations in Tampa, follows a decision made last month to separate the political and military aspects of the negotiations. The primary objective is to negotiate an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Israel's condition for withdrawal is the disarmament of Hezbollah. However, Lebanon is firmly opposing the idea of direct military coordination.

"The issue keeps coming up but we always tell them 'no, we will not do that,'" stated a Lebanese political official close to the discussions. This official emphasized that any future talks must continue to involve American mediation. "There are Israelis and Lebanese, with the Americans in the middle. That's it and that's how it will remain. Our position has always been that there should be a third party for verification."

The proposed verification mechanism would oversee agreements in designated "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon. In these zones, Hezbollah would disarm, Israeli forces would withdraw, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) would assume control. Progress has been stalled for months since the initial pilot zones were established in July. The process remains untested, with no agreed-upon mechanism to verify compliance from all parties. Critics also note that the initial zones did not feature an Israeli military presence.

Israel continues to insist on Hezbollah's disarmament as a prerequisite for its withdrawal and has expressed doubts about the LAF's capacity to manage the process. Political uncertainty in Israel, with legislative elections scheduled for the end of the month, has further hindered the talks. Lebanese officials anticipate minimal movement on the more contentious issues until after the election.

"There's no real political track between [Lebanon and Israel] because there's a dead end until it's clear what the new government in Israel will be," a political source told The National. The election of a hard-line Israeli government could potentially lead to further delays. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli media on Sunday that he does not trust the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. "That's why we said that as long as it is not disarmed, we will remain in this zone that changed the situation in the north," Mr. Netanyahu stated.

One source acknowledged the increasing pressure on Lebanon to "do more to show movement on expanding the authority of the state [by] moving against Hezbollah at least in small steps." However, all Lebanese officials interviewed expressed low expectations for the talks, characterizing them as largely technical and an opportunity for Lebanon to reiterate its demands for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied south.

"We don’t expect any major decisions or an expansion of the pilot zones tomorrow and the verification mechanism won't be established," a military source commented. "We will as usual shine a light on the [Israeli] aggression and the ceasefire violations, and demand a full withdrawal from the south – the same demands as always."

Despite these low expectations, Lebanon sees little alternative to continuing the negotiations, even as officials increasingly question the potential for Israeli concessions. Lebanon initially entered direct talks hoping the US would leverage its influence over Israel to secure an end to attacks in the south and initiate a phased Israeli withdrawal. Instead, Israeli military operations and demolitions have persisted alongside the discussions, extending beyond Israel's declared "security" zone. This has left Lebanese officials uncertain about the diplomatic process's achievements to date.