Lebanon-Israel military talks in Tampa end without breakthrough
Military delegations negotiated for two days at U.S. Central Command in Florida. The main dispute is over monitoring the Lebanese army in the south of the country.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
U.S.-mediated military talks between Lebanon and Israel at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, ended without a breakthrough, according to Lebanese sources. Lebanese military sources said no further session was scheduled, though separate talks with CENTCOM remained possible. The opening session alone lasted about six hours without tangible results, diplomatic sources said.
At the core is how the dismantling of Hezbollah's military infrastructure can be linked to an Israeli withdrawal. Israel rejects third-party verification and is demanding direct military coordination through joint operations rooms, according to the news site The New Arab. Lebanon refuses and proposes an independent mechanism, possibly involving France, the United States and the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL.
Beirut is demanding an end to Israeli attacks, a withdrawal from the security zone in the south, the release of prisoners, the return of displaced residents and a timetable for the framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26. On Thursday, Lebanese sources again reported Israeli airstrikes on towns in the Marjayoun and Nabatieh districts and artillery shelling in the south.