Lebanon: A US source revealed to the "Al-Arabiya" channel that the meeting between Lebanon and Israel has reached a dead end due to Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The US source confirmed that the Lebanese side is demanding a clear timeframe for the Israeli withdrawal, and Washington is pushing for an agreement that includes Israel's phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday any Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone in southern Lebanon. The denial came after a US official announced that Israel had withdrawn some of its forces from the region as a gesture of goodwill towards the Lebanese government. An Israeli official said on Thursday that Tel Aviv would withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon only when Hezbollah is disarmed.
Israeli government spokesman David Menser told journalists during a briefing that "we will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, is not disarmed, and its military capabilities are not eliminated."
Israel and Lebanon are discussing a US-backed proposal under which Israeli forces would hand over to the Lebanese army the part of Lebanese territory it occupied during the war with Hezbollah, allowing Lebanon to regain control over the occupied areas. The proposal to establish a "test zone" is part of the latest round of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington. The pace of the talks slowed down when Iran tried to include the Lebanese issue in its negotiations with the US.
The US and Iran signed an interim agreement last week under which all hostile activities would cease on all fronts, including Lebanon. Both sides pledged to guarantee Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which for Tehran means that the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon is necessary.
