Israel and Lebanon discuss US-backed plan for handover of some southern territory

WASHINGTON: Israeli and Lebanese officials are discussing a US-backed proposal under which Israeli forces would transfer control of some territory seized in southern Lebanon during the war with Hezbollah to the Lebanese army, according to officials from both sides.

Israeli officials said the plan under discussion would involve Lebanese troops receiving US training and vetting to ensure they have no links to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Under the same proposal, Israel would keep a military presence in a buffer zone along the border.

The proposed arrangement is being examined as a pilot project in the latest round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials, which began in Washington on Tuesday. Hezbollah has rejected this diplomatic track, while the negotiations have also been overshadowed by Tehran's broader engagement with the United States in which Lebanon has become a focal point.

When asked about the Israeli account, a senior Lebanese security official said discussions were continuing in Washington and that Wednesday would include detailed military-to-military talks, including over the proposed pilot zones. The Lebanese official said the focus of the discussions would be on a timetable for withdrawal and added that any plan would only emerge after the final day of talks on Thursday.

The same Lebanese official did not respond to a request for comment on the Israeli officials' statement that Lebanese troops involved in the proposed arrangement would be vetted by the United States.

Ceasefire and military presence

The latest conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began after Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in support of Tehran in the early days of the US-Israeli war on Iran. A ceasefire has largely held since Sunday, although Israeli troops have remained deployed deep inside southern Lebanon.

Israel has taken control of what it describes as a security zone in the area and says the deployment is needed to protect northern Israel from a possible Hezbollah attack.

An interim agreement signed by Iran and the United States last week requires both countries and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent halt to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and to uphold Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty.