Little expected from Lebanon-Israel military talks in Florida
U.S.-sponsored military meetings between Lebanon and Israel began yesterday in Tampa, Florida, and will continue today under U.S. auspices.
The aim is to discuss the necessary practical steps to implement security arrangements, at a time when disagreements persist over several issues -- most notably the mechanisms for monitoring commitments and the entity that will be tasked with verifying their implementation.
The meetings are being held at the headquarters of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), with the participation of military delegations, in a track separate from the political negotiations, which have been postponed to an as-yet-unspecified date.
A U.S. official stated that "the talks facilitated by the United States will be limited to expert-level meetings, focusing exclusively on the security aspect of the tripartite framework."
These meetings come after a pause of nearly two and a half months since the last round hosted in Rome, amid U.S. efforts to achieve progress on the ground by defining security responsibilities, enhancing the deployment of the Lebanese Army, and establishing a clear mechanism to follow up on the execution of understandings.
Pending the outcome of the military meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, determining the entity that will monitor the execution of security arrangements remains one of the most prominent issues before the participants. This is an ongoing point of contention between the two sides: Israel wants to establish a joint operations room or adopt a direct line of communication with the Lebanese Army to follow up on security measures and ensure that specific areas are free of weapons and military facilities belonging to Hezbollah.
Lebanon, however, rejects this proposal and pushes to assign the verification task to a U.N. or international body, according to informed sources who
spokes to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper about the preparations leading up to the meetings.
The sources added: "Lebanon will raise almost all previous issues, because so far, none of the terms in the framework agreement have been implemented as intended."
The sources point out that "there is an effort by Washington to reach a formula that allows monitoring implementation and defining responsibilities, alongside establishing a gradual timeline in which Lebanese steps are accompanied by corresponding Israeli measures, including withdrawal from agreed-upon areas."
Hence, discussions will touch on expanding the scope of pilot zones where the Lebanese Army would assume security responsibility following an Israeli withdrawal, similar to what occurred in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, provided that progress there serves as a basis for discussing additional arrangements.
In return, the Lebanese delegation places at the top of its priorities an end to Israeli airstrikes, bombings, bulldozing, and demolition activities in the South, as well as adherence to the ceasefire agreement signed on June 26, 2026, alongside withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and the return of captives, according to the sources. The sources also noted that "the Lebanese delegation will demand that farmers be allowed access to their land in border areas to harvest olives, amid persistent Israeli threats against them."
While the current round is restricted to the "military and security aspect," political negotiations do not appear set to resume anytime soon, with reports indicating they have been postponed until after the upcoming elections in Israel and the United States.
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