Israel and Lebanon are holding discussions involving a US-backed pilot project which could see the Israeli forces handing over the control of some of the territory in southern Lebanon, that the IDF...
Israel and Lebanon are holding discussions involving a US-backed pilot project which could see the Israeli forces handing over the control of some of the territory in southern Lebanon, that the IDF had captured during its war with Hezbollah, to the Lebanese Armed Forces, news agency Reuters cited three Israeli officials as saying.
The officials said that the Lebanese troops involved will be trained and vetted by the United States to ensure they are not linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah, while Israel will keep a military presence in a border buffer zone.
The proposed “pilot” project is being discussed and is in the latest rounds of talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials, which began in Washington on Tuesday.
A senior Lebanese security official, according to Reuters, confirmed that the talks between the two countries were ongoing in Washington and specific discussions between the militaries of both sides, including the pilot zones, would take place on Wednesday.
The official also said that the discussions would focus on the timeline of withdrawal and that the final decision would come up only on the final days of talks on Thursday.
The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted when the Iran-backed militant group launched attacks on Israel in support of Tehran during the early days of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for his country to be “free” from dependence on American military and instead develop its own weapons-production capabilities.
Speaking during a meeting with reserve combat officers in the West Bank’s Gush Etzion, Netanyahu said, “I greatly appreciate the support we have received — and that I have secured over the years — from our American friends. But today I say: We need our own independent weapons-production system. We must manufacture our own armaments.”
“We are now confronting Iran and its proxies. We have struck them hard. It is not over yet, but it depends on our strength. Where we will be in 30 years depends on our strength. That is why what we are doing now is building even greater strength,” he said highlighting that he wants Israel “to have an independent armaments capability.”
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