Amid IDF activity on Ali Taher: Lebanon requested to postpone the round of talks with Israel

Lebanon requested to postpone the round of talks with Israel scheduled for this week in Rome, amid IDF activity on the Ali Taher ridge. Israel's ambassador to the US, Yehiel Leiter, is expected to meet his Lebanese counterpart at the State Department. Israel opposes the involvement of France and Britain in the supervisory force, while the US seeks to expand the withdrawal zones.

Lebanon requested to postpone the round of negotiations with Israel scheduled for this week in Rome, amid IDF activity on the Ali Taher ridge. This was reported this morning on the program "Haboqer Hazeh" on Kan News. However, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, is expected to meet his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh, at the US State Department this week. Last week, Axios reported that the round of talks had been postponed. Kan News reported that the purpose of the round was to build the force that would ensure the pilot zones were indeed cleared of Hezbollah presence. Israel opposes the involvement of France and Britain in the force, while the US seeks to expand the withdrawal zones to be handed over to the Lebanese army. In an interview published in the Kan News edition, former US ambassador to Lebanon David Hale said that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is determined to disarm Hezbollah: "He is committed to seeing it through. People like him have a long history of dealing with militias that challenged the army's authority. This is not something they can accept." According to him, "Aoun deeply believes that the stability of the country he loves depends on his success in getting rid of Iran's presence and influence and ending Hezbollah as an independent militia."