Military and technical talks between Lebanon and Israel began Tuesday under U.S. mediation at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, according to diplomatic sources in Beirut, reported Anadolu Agency. The meetings, scheduled to run through Thursday, are strictly military in nature and do not constitute another round of direct political negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. “A Lebanese military delegation will participate to present Lebanon’s demands for an end to Israeli escalation, in the hope of achieving results consistent with the framework agreement,” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday, reported Ynet News.
However, a retired Lebanese general told The New Arab that Israel is attempting to heighten tensions ahead of the talks and put Lebanon on the defensive. According to the account reported by The New Arab, the Israeli military has accused elements of the Lebanese army of coordinating with Hezbollah, reportedly allowing the group to anticipate operations and move weapons out of targeted areas. The Israeli military has also said that the Lebanese army was responsible for ensuring the full implementation of the security arrangements, saying it expected it to take more decisive and effective measures to prevent Hezbollah from maintaining weapons and military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese army later rejected the claims, describing them as false and accusing Israel of seeking to undermine its credibility and cast doubt on its ability to carry out its responsibilities in southern Lebanon.
Retired Lebanese Brig. Gen. Bassam Yassin described the Israeli accusations as an attempt to undermine the talks and put the Lebanese army on the defensive. “The intention is certainly to create tension around the negotiations and put the army in a position where it has to defend itself,” Yassin told The New Arab. Yassin rejected the suggestion that the Lebanese army was failing to carry out its responsibilities, arguing that the army could not be expected to forcibly disarm the group while Israeli forces continued to occupy Lebanese territory and carry out attacks.
“Of course, the army is not going to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure in the south right now. There is an occupation and aggression on your land. Can the army confront civilians and tell them: ‘I want to dismantle your defences’? That is impossible,” he said. Yassin maintained that the army had taken control of every Hezbollah site it had entered following the November 2024 ceasefire, and said Hezbollah had helped it access many of its former positions.
