Tampa Meeting: Israel Refuses Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon

The first day of the trilateral military meeting at the US Central Command headquarters in Tampa concluded with the participation of Lebanese, American, and Israeli delegations, amid a significant gap between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations. Israel refused to withdraw from southern Lebanon before disarming Hezbollah, while Lebanon rejected a US-Israeli proposal for a joint committee.

The first day of the trilateral military meeting at the US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, concluded with delegations from Lebanon, the United States, and Israel participating. Talks are set to resume on Wednesday amid disagreements over security arrangements in southern Lebanon and Lebanese demands for de-escalation and Israeli withdrawal. Media sources reported that the first round of technical military negotiations focused on the security dimension of the framework agreement, along with discussing technical procedures amid mutual complaints between the two sides. Data indicated a significant gap between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations, as Washington seeks to keep the negotiation track open after talks stalled for about two and a half months. During the meeting, the Israeli delegation screened a video released by the Israeli army, claiming coordination and communication between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army. The Lebanese army responded with a detailed statement refuting these allegations. Concurrently, the Lebanese delegation rejected the proposed US-Israeli formula for establishing a joint bilateral committee between the Lebanese and Israeli armies, while the Israeli side insisted on remaining in the security zone it occupies in southern Lebanon, refusing to withdraw before disarming Hezbollah. The American side requested the Israeli delegation to identify new pilot areas for implementing security arrangements.