A three-day round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon begins today in Washington, where the Israeli delegation will present maps as well as a proposal for a pilot plan for a partial withdrawal from a limited area in southern Lebanon, Israeli media report.
The plan under discussion предусматривает that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdraw from a designated territory, which is believed to have been largely cleared of military activity. The Lebanese army would then be deployed in that area under the supervision of the United States.
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“We are coming with maps to determine what the pilot area in Lebanon will be,” an Israeli source told Channel 12. According to the source, this pilot project is linked to a territory south of the Litani River, below the so-called “yellow line.”
The negotiations are expected to conclude on Thursday and will be conducted through two parallel working groups: one political and the other military.
Heading the political group will be Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Yossi Dresnin, the envoy of the Israeli prime minister and a senior official in the National Security Council.
The military group, meanwhile, will be led by Strategy Department chief Michael Levin, together with acting military attaché Arik Ben-Dov.
Quoted sources say the Israeli government and security structures are trying to build confidence-building measures between the sides, with the aim of avoiding pressure or interference from outside, whether from the United States or Iran.
According to the same sources, Israel, Lebanon and the United States are entering these talks with high expectations of securing concrete results.
At the same time, Israeli forces continue to maintain control over several strategic points where military operations have not yet been completed, especially in the area of Ali Taher Hill, in coordination with the United States.
In this territory there is a large underground structure which, according to Israel, belongs to Hezbollah. Israeli authorities are considering alternatives for destroying it without undermining the diplomatic process that is moving forward in parallel.
On the ground, the 36th Division of the Israeli army is operating, including the Givati Brigade and the 401st Armored Brigade, as part of a complex mission with strong engineering and operational components.
The military proposal for neutralizing the underground facility is expected to be presented to Israel’s political leadership, while the final decision could be made in the coming days.
