This important meeting comes a few days after the operation carried out by the Israeli army in the southern suburb of Beirut, which resulted in the assassination of the prominent military leader in Hezbollah, Haitham Ali Tabatabai.
A well-informed source stated that the meeting was mainly aimed at getting acquainted between the participating parties. He pointed out that the most prominent topic discussed was economic cooperation in southern Lebanon, especially programs for the reconstruction of war-affected areas. He also pointed to the two sides discussing the possibility of launching small joint projects on the borders, according to what was reported by the “Axios” website on Thursday.
The source added that the participants agreed to hold a new meeting before the end of this year to present economic proposals aimed at strengthening mutual trust.
An American official also affirmed that the long-term American vision is based on establishing an economic zone along the border that is free of Hezbollah and heavy weapons. He explained that the common goal of the parties is to disarm Hezbollah, and that this path will continue within the ceasefire mechanism.
He also revealed that the administration of US President Donald Trump believes that the Israeli strike that killed one of Hezbollah’s most prominent leaders gave Israel a wider political margin and postponed the implementation of a possible major military operation in Lebanon.
The American administration believes that the war will not resume in the coming weeks, despite the hawkish statements issued by some Israeli leaders.
For his part, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed in an interview with three international news agencies that these meetings do not amount to peace negotiations, but are only aimed at consolidating the cessation of hostilities and ensuring a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, in addition to the release of Lebanese prisoners, according to “France Press”.
Salam affirmed that Lebanon is committed to the Arab Peace Initiative issued in 2002, and is not seeking a separate agreement with Israel, considering that any economic relations will be the last stage after achieving peace.
This round is considered the first of its kind since 1983, when the two countries negotiated after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and those negotiations resulted in the May 17 agreement, which was approved by Parliament, before the government later canceled it.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on November 27, 2024, after a year of clashes following Hezbollah’s opening of what it described as a “support front” in support of Gaza.
However, Israel continues to carry out daily raids on areas in Lebanon, and maintains its presence in five southern hills. In return, the authorities have developed a plan to disarm Hezbollah within the agreement, and the Lebanese army has begun to implement it, amid American and Israeli pressure to accelerate it, despite the major internal challenges it faces as a result of the division over this file.
