In seeking to end the fighting between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel, France submitted a written proposal to Beirut aimed at reaching a settlement on the disputed border between Lebanon and Israel, calling on fighters, including an elite Hezbollah unit, to withdraw 10 kilometers from the border. The mutual bombardment is taking place in parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip, raising fears of a devastating and all-out confrontation.
Published on: 02/13/2024 – 12:39
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The plan aims to end the fighting between the Hezbollah group, allied with Iran, and Israel across the border. The mutual bombardment is taking place in parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip and has raised fears of a devastating and all-out confrontation. The goal of this proposal is to prevent a conflict that “threatens to spiral out of control” and impose “a possible ceasefire, when conditions are right,” and ultimately envisions negotiations on the demarcation of the disputed land border between Lebanon and Israel. While Hezbollah refuses to officially negotiate a truce before the end of the war in Gaza
The three-step plan seeks a 10-day de-escalation process that will end with border negotiations. A French diplomatic source said that the proposal was presented to the governments of Israel and Lebanon and to Hezbollah.
The plan proposes that Lebanese armed groups and Israel stop military operations against each other, including Israeli air strikes in Lebanon. It also proposes that Lebanese armed groups demolish all buildings and facilities near the border and withdraw combat forces and military capabilities such as anti-tank systems to at least 10 kilometers north of the border.
Any such withdrawal would still bring Hezbollah fighters much closer to the border compared to the 30-kilometre withdrawal to the Litani River in Lebanon, which was stipulated in the United Nations resolution that ended the war with Israel in 2006.
The proposal also calls for up to 15,000 Lebanese Army soldiers to be deployed in the border region of southern Lebanon, a political stronghold for Hezbollah where the group’s fighters have long integrated into society in times of calm.
In response to a question about the proposal, prominent Hezbollah politician MP Hassan Fadlallah said that the group would not discuss “any matter related to the situation in the south before stopping the aggression against Gaza.”
Fadlallah added that “the enemy is not in a position to impose conditions,” and declined to comment on the details of the proposal or whether Hezbollah had received it.
One Lebanese official said that the document collects ideas that were discussed in contacts with Western envoys and were conveyed to Hezbollah. He added that French officials informed the Lebanese that it was not a final paper, after Beirut objected to parts of it.
The Lebanese official said that several elements raised concern in Beirut, such as the armed groups’ demand to demolish buildings and facilities near the border, which the official indicated was vaguely worded and could be used to demand steps against Hezbollah’s civilian institutions.
A French diplomatic source said that the proposal was presented to the governments of Israel and Lebanon and to Hezbollah. An Israeli official confirmed that the government had received the proposal and was discussing it.
2024-02-13 11:39:32
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