Lebanese military officials say Israeli forces are pressing the Lebanese Armed Forces to coordinate directly as attacks continue near West Zawtar. Lebanese soldiers have deployed there, while displaced residents still lack basic services. The eighth round of US-mediated negotiations remains suspended. On the ground, the proposed pilot-zone arrangement hasn't delivered the promised model town.
Coordination on Whose Terms?
A Lebanese military source accused Israel of waging a systematic campaign against the Lebanese Armed Forces to force direct coordination between the two armies. “Israel wants the Lebanese Army to become like Lahad's army, taking orders and carrying out instructions,” the source told Arab News. “That will never happen.” The source referred to the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army, once commanded by Antoine Lahad during Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.
The source said the Lebanese military deployed to the initial pilot zones in July under a framework agreement reached during US-mediated negotiations. That agreement explicitly provided for a verification mechanism, the source said. Israel has rejected proposed mechanisms, including arrangements involving French, Italian and German participation, according to the source. Washington, the source added, wouldn't send American personnel because of the risks.
The source described Israel's criticism of Lebanese efforts to disarm Hezbollah and inspect facilities suspected of belonging to the Iran-backed group as pressure to make the Lebanese military subordinate. “Israel wants to turn the Lebanese Army into one of its employees,” the source said. “That is something that cannot happen.” Retired Maj. Gen. Abdel Rahman Shehaitly, Lebanon's former representative in negotiations over the southern land border, also rejected direct coordination. “What Israel really wants is to become the Lebanese army's direct coordinator,” he told Arab News. “That is simply unacceptable.”
The Pilot Zone, and the People Still Waiting
Israeli forces withdrew from West Zawtar in July, the first test of a US-backed initiative intended to secure a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament. No further pilot zones have been agreed since. The parties remain at odds over verification, and Israel opposes expanding the initiative, according to the Lebanese military source.
West Zawtar Mayor Abed Ezzedine told Reuters the program had failed to deliver promised improvements. Basic services, including electricity and running water, remain largely unavailable. “In principle, I can tell you that no, it's not successful,” Ezzedine said. “Based on what we were promised: that West Zawtar as a pilot zone would be a model town.” The diplomatic framework has a mechanism under dispute; residents still don't have reliable services.
The Lebanese military source also accused Israeli forces of demolishing houses in nearby East Zawtar and targeting Lebanese military vehicles while the sides had no agreed verification mechanism. “Missiles fly over the heads of Lebanese soldiers and sometimes land just meters away from them,” the source said. These remain allegations from the Lebanese side. The Israeli military told Reuters that efforts to eliminate the threat posed by Hezbollah's weapons remained incomplete, and said drones were being used to identify potential threats. It said restrictions on residents' movements were intended to protect Israeli troops.
Washington's Path, Beirut's Missing Meeting Date
A US State Department spokesperson called the pilot-zone process “the only viable path” to ensuring security for Lebanon and Israel. The spokesperson said the initiative would expand once the Lebanese military completed clearance operations in the initial zone, and described Hezbollah's disarmament as “an integral part of this process.” The US-backed framework links Israeli withdrawal to disarmament. The verification mechanism remains unresolved, and no additional pilot zones have been agreed.
The eighth round of direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations under US mediation remains suspended. Beirut hadn't received official notification from Washington of the next meeting date, despite speculation about a military-focused round in Florida before the end of October. Israeli military operations continue in the so-called yellow zone, where evacuation threats have kept displaced residents from trying to return home.
More than a million Lebanese fled their homes after hostilities broke out, when Israel launched airstrikes and a ground invasion after Hezbollah fired into Israel in solidarity with Tehran during the war involving Iran. The parties agreed to a ceasefire in June, but Israeli forces continued deadly strikes in Lebanon and remained in control of a self-declared security zone encompassing dozens of Lebanese villages, many demolished during the military campaign. The negotiations concern armies, weapons and territory. People waiting to return are still waiting.