In a development that reflects a hardening of the Israeli position, an Israeli official told Channel 14, stressing that “there will be no agreement with Lebanon,” explaining that change in Lebanon “will only come through military action, not political action.”
The official also added that the minimum demanded by Israel “does not meet the maximum proposed by the Lebanese government,” indicating that there is a large discrepancy that hinders any possible negotiations between the two parties.
This statement comes at a time when contacts had begun to take shape during recent weeks, as an official Lebanese source revealed to Al-Hadath earlier today that there were contacts to form a unified Lebanese delegation to negotiate with Israel, including representatives from various Lebanese factions, in a way that reflects national unity.
The source pointed out that Lebanon was keen not to delay the start of negotiations, for fear that Israel would impose harsher conditions in light of the continuing military escalation.
The source warned that the current field situation may impose new facts on the ground, especially in light of what he described as an Israeli plan targeting southern Lebanon, in conjunction with the escalation of military operations.
This is accompanied by continuous official affirmations of the necessity of confining weapons to the state, and refusing to slide into any internal conflict, which reflects a Lebanese attempt to achieve a balance between the political track and increasing field pressures.
