Thursday marked the third day of the fifth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel at the U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington.

Israel and Lebanon are discussing a U.S.-backed proposal under which Israeli forces would hand over parts of the occupied Lebanese territories to the Lebanese army, paving the way for Lebanon to regain control.

The proposal to establish a “pilot zone” is part of the latest round of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington, despite its momentum declining amid Iran’s efforts to include the Lebanese file in its negotiations with the United States.

Israeli Precondition...

In this context, the Israeli government confirmed, “We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as the Hezbollah threat persists,” adding, “The deployment of the Lebanese army must occur before our forces withdraw from southern Lebanon.”

They emphasized that “disarming Hezbollah is a basic condition for our withdrawal from southern Lebanon.”

Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “yesterday’s results in the negotiations between Lebanon and Israel were very good,” affirming that “the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Washington continue today,” and that the U.S. administration “is working hard to reach an agreement of intent that can be built upon.”

Lebanon-Israel negotiations in Washington (X).

Israeli Withdrawal?

In another development, Lebanese and Israeli officials denied reports about an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, after a U.S. official indicated that Israel had pulled back part of its forces from the area as a “gesture of goodwill.”

The American official said the Israeli step represents a positive gesture toward the Lebanese government, adding that the Lebanese army should deploy in the areas from which Israeli forces have withdrawn.

However, a Lebanese military source quickly refuted this information, confirming that Israeli forces are still positioned in the Lebanese territories they recently occupied, and that reports of a withdrawal from the “buffer zone” are untrue.

For his part, a senior Israeli defense official emphasized that Tel Aviv’s position has not changed, stating that the Israeli army will not withdraw from the area Israel describes as the “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon.

Israeli drone over Beirut (AFP).

Continuous Violations...

These disagreements in Washington coincide with ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

The “National News Agency” reported that “Israeli occupation forces set fire to several houses in the village of Ein Arab, following warnings issued on Wednesday to residents to evacuate the village by 5 PM.”

Additionally, three people were killed by an Israeli drone strike targeting a car on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun in southern Lebanon.

Israeli drone flights were recorded over various Lebanese regions.