Lebanon eyes ceasefire hope as US general meets top officials amid Israeli strikes

Report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

“No one from the people of the South, or Lebanon, wants to return to a state of war,” President Joseph Aoun told the new head of the ceasefire monitoring committee, U.S. General Joseph Clearfield.

Although the meeting was introductory, Clearfield—who toured the offices of Lebanon’s top three leaders—presented an overview of the committee’s agenda for the coming phase, expressing hope to make progress in consolidating the ceasefire and pressuring Israel to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories, according to a statement from Ain al-Tineh after Clearfield’s meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

According to LBCI, the committee will hold weekly meetings—one at the level of senior generals and another at a lower level—with the aim of strengthening and solidifying the ceasefire agreement.

The next committee meeting is expected to take place next Wednesday, possibly in the presence of U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, who may arrive in Lebanon next week and visit Israel before coming to Beirut, according to LBCI sources.

Information also indicates that during Clearfield’s meetings with the three leaders, the expansion of the committee’s mandate to turn it into a negotiation platform on other files with the Israeli side was not raised, since such a move would require a political decision.

On the Lebanese side, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized that Lebanon remains committed to completing the process of restricting weapons south of the Litani River before the end of the year, as outlined in the Lebanese army’s plan.

Meanwhile, as Clearfield toured the three officials, Israel carried out airstrikes in the Bekaa region, killing two people in Janta and Chmistar.

The Israeli army, as usual, claimed it had targeted a Hezbollah training camp and infrastructure used for precision missile production.

In short, everyone is waiting to see how effective the committee will be in halting Israeli attacks on Lebanon—especially since it has previously failed to do so, given Israel’s insistence on disarming Hezbollah before withdrawing from Lebanon and stopping its assaults.