Israel, Lebanon hold ‘working level’ talks in Florida

BEIRUT

Military and technical talks between Lebanon and Israel concluded on Oct. 21 at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Florida under U.S. mediation, as Washington seeks to advance an agreement providing for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The meetings reviewed implementation of a framework agreement signed in June and discussed designated areas in southern Lebanon from which Israeli forces are expected to withdraw, according to diplomatic sources in Beirut.

The talks were part of U.S. efforts to monitor implementation of the agreement amid continued Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said last week that a military delegation would attend the U.S.-backed trilateral meeting to present Beirut’s demands for an end to Israeli escalation and seek outcomes consistent with the framework agreement.

Aoun made the remarks while meeting a French delegation led by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun also said Lebanon sought an extension of the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, and welcomed any arrangement that would ensure a continued international presence in the country’s south to prevent a security vacuum.

Barrot expressed France’s solidarity with Lebanon and reaffirmed Paris’ support across various sectors, the statement said. He also said France was ready to mobilize resources to address the country’s urgent humanitarian needs.

Israel began a new campaign of deadly attacks in southern Lebanon in early March and has continued strikes despite the U.S.-sponsored framework agreement reached in June. The agreement provides for an Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah.