The rapid diplomatic and field developments revealed that the southern Lebanese front has entered the last quarter of an hour of difficult negotiation labor, as closed-door discussions in Washington are intertwined with the sound of Israeli shells and raids on the ground.
As the United States makes a concerted effort to salvage the fifth round of direct negotiations, the scene on the ground reflects Israel's determination to impose new security realities that Beirut categorically rejects, putting a potential deal on the brink of uncertainty.
Complex Fifth Round, US State Department Extends Talks
The US State Department announced the extension of the fifth round of direct negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations in Washington for an additional day, after it was scheduled to end.
"Talks are still ongoing, and we continue to facilitate this process," the ministry said in an official statement, adding that meetings would resume to continue working towards a common understanding.
In the same context, the Israeli website "Walla" reported that the decision to extend the extension came after a marathon session that lasted 11 hours, surrounded by great complexities and fundamental differences in views that ended in failure at dawn, amid continuous American efforts to reach a security understanding that regulates the situation in southern Lebanon.
The obstacle of the "yellow line" and the rejected Lebanese proposals
Israel's official broadcaster revealed that the main dispute that threatens to fail the negotiations revolves around what Tel Aviv calls the "yellow line" or "anti-armor line" that it has approved, which is an imaginary line that extends for about 8 kilometers deep into Lebanese territory.
The Commission stressed that Israel rejects a complete withdrawal from the areas within this line, and adheres to staying in strategic points such as the Beaufort Heights (Al-Shukif Castle) and the areas of Ali al-Taher, hinting at the study of a partial and conditional withdrawal only.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Washington has put forward a proposal to implement a "pilot plan" to implement a gradual Israeli withdrawal to be matched by the deployment of the Lebanese army, but Tel Aviv rejected the Lebanese proposals on the areas of origin, as Lebanon wants to implement them in the areas of the current incursion, while Israel insists on testing the Lebanese army's capability in areas where its forces are not present first.
Netanyahu clings to the security zone, the interior looms
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a conference of local authorities, reiterated his commitment to staying in southern Lebanon and not withdrawing imminently, announcing that he had issued clear instructions to give his forces freedom of military action to thwart any northern threats.
In a related context, Israeli Minister of War Israel Katz stressed that the Israeli army will not withdraw from the buffer zone "even if it is subjected to American pressure," considering that staying there is an absolute necessity for the security of Israeli towns.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper pointed out that these hardline positions coincide with reports of pressure exerted by Washington on Tel Aviv to de-escalate in conjunction with the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Switzerland to conclude a comprehensive agreement, which Israel is facing by trying to impose a security document closer to a peace agreement, while Lebanon insists that the agreement is nothing more than a "declaration of intent."
Square ignition, wave of violations undermine ceasefire
On the ground, intensive Israeli raids and shelling operations targeted several towns in southern Lebanon, where warplanes launched a raid in two batches targeting the outskirts of the town of Nabatieh al-Fuqa, in conjunction with bulldozing and burning operations carried out by the Israeli army in the town of Compound.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that two people were killed and wounded in a raid that targeted a car in the town of Mifdoun, while field information reported that the incident in the town of Mansouri resulted in the death and wounding of an object from the explosion of shell remnants.
On the other hand, the Israeli Army Radio quoted a military source as saying that a violent armed clash took place in the town of Beit Yahon, which resulted in the injury of 4 Israeli soldiers, including officers, followed by artillery shelling with about 10 shells and raids targeting the infrastructure in the town.
For its part, Hizbullah announced in an official statement that the targeting of citizens on the eastern Zutar road is a "flagrant violation" of the ceasefire agreement, stressing that it monitors and documents these ongoing violations while remaining committed to the agreement until now.
This complex escalation on the ground and diplomacy comes within the framework of the ongoing round of Israeli aggression against Lebanon and international efforts to end the broader regional conflict.
Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding to conclude an agreement to end the war that includes aggression against Lebanon, and despite the relatively low pace of attacks and the claim of the Israeli Army Radio to withdraw some combat brigades to "raise readiness", the total number of casualties in Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Health, reached 4,230 dead and 12,179 wounded since the start of the escalation, amid Israel's continued occupation and expansion of its penetration to more than 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory, in its deepest advance in a year 2000.
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