Sources told the Lebanese newspaper ad-Diyar on Tuesday that officials in Beirut were continuing to insist on a ceasefire as a necessary condition for the success of the negotiation process with Israel.
It was further reported that if the ongoing effort with the US does not force Israel to return to the ceasefire before this coming Thursday, the negotiations would not address any clause other than understandings on a ceasefire. According to the same sources, Lebanon is betting that the American side will influence the Israeli side in the upcoming round of talks.
At the same time, the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan reported that the reason the round of negotiations would last two days may be that the meeting on the first day will be held at the ambassadorial level, with Israel and Lebanon represented by Yechiel Leiter and Nada Mawad, while the meeting on the second day will be held at the level of the heads of the delegations. As reported, the Lebanese delegation will be headed by Simon Karam, the envoy of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Against this backdrop, sources said US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa met with Lebanon's three top leaders: Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The meetings were held before Issa's departure for Washington to take part in the rounds of negotiations. Issa heard about developments on the front and about Israel Defense Forces strikes, which had extended beyond southern Lebanon to more northern areas such as the Beqaa Valley. The Lebanese side complained of violations of the ceasefire.
According to a source, the Lebanese side asked the ambassador to convey a message to the US State Department that real pressure must be applied on Israel to stop the escalation on the ground before the first negotiating session on Thursday. This, they said, was necessary to allow talks to take place in a calm atmosphere and without military coercion or security pressures that could adversely affect the process and the chances of any progress.
This source also said the Lebanese delegation sought to establish a final ceasefire and only then address the other issues on the agenda: the withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon, the demand for the release of Hezbollah detainees, the deployment of the Lebanese army, the return of Lebanese residents to the south of the country and an agreement on the land border between the two countries.
