Lead:
Lebanon's diplomatic and security landscape is under acute strain as direct negotiations with Israel remain deadlocked, Israeli military operations in the south continue with fresh artillery strikes and settler incursions, and Hezbollah is reported to be preparing for renewed conflict. These developments intersect with a delicate political moment: President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are said to enjoy an unprecedented working rapport, yet divisions over the proposed framework agreement and the exclusive right to negotiate on Lebanon's behalf are intensifying across the political spectrum.
Details:
Al-Markazia reports that the principal obstacle to the Lebanon-Israel direct talks — held under U.S. sponsorship — is no longer technical complexity but rather what it describes as deliberate Israeli procrastination and American permissiveness. Diplomatic sources cited by Al-Diyar indicate that Washington itself privately acknowledges it is too early to resolve the southern Lebanese file, contradicting signals recently attributed to Paris regarding imminent security arrangements in the south.
The proposed "framework agreement" is drawing sharp condemnation from multiple Lebanese political figures. Walid Jumblatt, former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, described it as a "unilateral Israeli diktat." Talal Arslan of the Lebanese Democratic Party called it "complete surrender to Israeli aggression." Former Foreign Minister Faris Bouyez, speaking to Al-Diyar, offered a more measured reading, characterizing the document as a "declaration of intent" rather than a binding treaty. President Aoun, meanwhile, stated publicly that he will not accept, "under any circumstances," that any party negotiate on Lebanon's behalf — a position echoed by a delegation from the National Bloc party that visited Baabda Palace. Rome has been selected to host the sixth round of negotiations on July 15 and 16, a choice Al-Diyar links to specific diplomatic considerations.
On the security front, Al-Jadeed, citing security sources, reports that Hezbollah is actively preparing for renewed war "at any cost," with military readiness assessments circulating in political back-channels. Israeli forces carried out artillery shelling, explosions, and intensive aerial surveillance across southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Al-Diyar further reports that settler groups entered a Lebanese border crossing point and called for establishing settlements inside Lebanese territory — a development condemned by Member of Parliament Melhem Khalaf as "a dangerous escalation." Minister Fadi Makki also condemned an Israeli strike on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa that killed a school principal.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, addressing European Union ambassadors alongside representatives from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Norway, pledged that the government is "determined to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund" and conditioned international trust and funding on the implementation of structural reforms.
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