Diplomatic and military contacts took place in Beirut as the United States monitored the negotiation process between Lebanon and Israel. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri held separate meetings with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and General Joseph Clerville, who heads the special military coordination group on Lebanon.
Salam’s meetings with Issa and Clerville addressed the military aspect of the negotiation framework and the latest developments on the ground in southern Lebanon.
Salam calls for a withdrawal timetable
Salam said a clear timetable was needed for Israel to halt its demolition operations, expand the scope of the pilot areas and withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory.
Berri also met with US Ambassador Issa and General Clerville in Beirut. No separate statement was issued on the content of the meeting.
Lebanon and Israel agreed in Washington on June 26 on a framework providing for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory. However, Israel’s military activities and violations in southern Lebanon continued after the agreement.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said Israeli forces would not withdraw from Lebanon until Hezbollah was disarmed and the threat it posed to Israel was eliminated.
Katz made the remarks at a ceremony marking the reestablishment of the Ganim settlement in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. He said the Israeli army controlled an area of 700 square kilometers in Lebanese territory, adding that it represented approximately 7 percent of Lebanon’s total area.
US opposes permanent military presence
A US State Department official said a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon would contradict the obligations under the framework agreement and would not serve the interests of peace.
According to Lebanese authorities, 4,335 people were killed, 12,277 were wounded and more than 1 million were displaced in Israeli attacks that began on March 2.
Israel maintains control over areas in southern Lebanon, some of which have been held for decades and others since the war period between 2023 and 2024. Israeli forces were reported to have advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory during the latest operations.
