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A third and final round of US-brokered negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli delegations in Washington concluded under significant strain on Thursday, with the US State Department extending the talks by one additional day in an effort to bridge deep gaps between the two sides. The talks, focused on a proposed declaration of intent and framework for Israeli withdrawal, have exposed sharp disagreements over timelines, withdrawal conditions, and security arrangements in southern Lebanon.
Details:
According to Al-Markazia, the US State Department convened a press conference following the conclusion of the negotiating round, with informed sources indicating that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had intervened directly in communications to push both delegations toward finalizing a joint declaration of intent. LBCI indicated that negotiations remained ongoing as late as Thursday evening, with the declaration — described as containing a roadmap between the two parties — still under discussion. Al-Markazia also reported that sessions had shifted from technical discussions over proposed formulas and mechanisms into what sources described as a genuine diplomatic confrontation over core Lebanese national constants.
Al-Akhbar reported that fundamental disagreements between the Lebanese military and political delegations complicated the Lebanese position internally, while Israeli leaks threatened to undermine any prospective agreement. The publication further alleged that the Lebanese negotiating authority had effectively accepted terms that would indefinitely condition any Israeli withdrawal on the prior disarmament of all armed groups across Lebanon — a framing that drew sharp criticism from the outlet. Sources cited by Al-Diyar noted that Israel consistently avoided any discussion of a timeline for withdrawal during the sessions and presented highly demanding conditions, while the Lebanese delegation advanced its own counter-proposals.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qasim publicly stated that any solution must be grounded in full Lebanese sovereignty and a complete Israeli withdrawal, adding that no commitment compromising Lebanese sovereignty would be accepted. In a separate statement, Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qablan affirmed that Speaker Nabih Berri must be a partner in any national approach, warning against agreements made at sovereignty's expense. Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Gibran Bassil, meanwhile, criticized the government for reaching consensus on most issues while publicly signaling disagreement exclusively on the weapons file.
On the Israeli side, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the security cabinet, according to Yedioth Ahronoth as cited by Al-Diyar, that Washington recognizes Israel's right to self-defense inside Lebanon. Former Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot publicly attacked Netanyahu, characterizing Lebanon as a political graveyard for Israeli prime ministers.
Separately, Israeli media reported a serious security incident in the town of Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district, with multiple military casualties evacuated by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
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