Lebanon's Berri commenting on US proposal affirms: No to Israeli army movement, no to foreign forces

Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri confirmed receiving the American proposal.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, he denied that the proposal included any form of freedom of movement for the Israeli army in Lebanon.

He emphasized that both the Americans and others "know that this is unacceptable and cannot even be discussed in principle, and we cannot accept any violation of Lebanese sovereignty."

Berri also denied that the proposal involved deploying foreign forces in Lebanon.

He revealed that the proposal includes an "unacceptable" provision regarding the formation of a committee to oversee the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, composed of several Western countries.

Berri said, "There is ongoing discussion about the proposed alternative mechanism, but we will not go along with it. There is a clear mechanism already in place, and we see no objection to activating it," referring to the international force in southern Lebanon, tasked with monitoring the implementation of the resolution that followed the 2006 war.

Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament stressed that discussions on these details are indeed ongoing, adding that "the work is proceeding, the atmosphere is positive, and the outcome is what matters."

He also mentioned that the visit of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanon "depends on the development and progress of the negotiations."

In response to a question about Israeli attacks on his hometown of Tebnine in southern Lebanon, as well as the areas of Ghobeiry, Chiyah, and Borj El Brajneh—locations traditionally supportive of Berri—he expressed, "It seems that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thinks that when he wants a concession from someone, he should pressure them [...] but he seems to not know who he’s dealing with, and these things don’t work with us."