Lebanon’s new negotiation challenge: Balancing US demands and Hezbollah opposition

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

The U.S. administration says handling the Lebanese file — particularly Hezbollah’s weapons and relations with Israel — requires a new approach based, according to available information, on two tracks of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

The first is a security track, in which the existing ceasefire monitoring mechanism would continue through military delegations.

The second is a political track, which would require the creation of a new negotiating framework involving political officials.

The sources indicate that U.S. officials have informed France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt of this approach and intend to implement it within an unspecified timeframe. It also notes that U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, together with his counterpart in Tel Aviv, Mike Huckabee, will oversee preparations for this process. 

In this context, the two ambassadors met at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan on January 26, especially since Ambassador Issa had no prior familiarity or relationship with Israeli officials, even though handling the Lebanese file requires such knowledge and contacts.

This information has also reached Hezbollah, which rejected discussion of the proposal at the political level. 

The party reaffirmed its opposition to the approach and, in a clear message to the authorities, launched an attack targeting the head of the Lebanese delegation participating in the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, Simon Karam, once again calling his appointment a mistake.

Lebanese officials continue to refuse to move forward on the political track without prior Israeli steps related to withdrawal, ending attacks, and releasing detainees.

The sources also suggest that local and regional developments have led to a tougher U.S. stance on disarming Hezbollah. Lebanese officials have been told the process must be completed as quickly as possible, and Washington is not concerned with timelines set by the Lebanese side. 

The U.S. stance has reportedly hardened in response to expected developments involving Iran, aiming to prevent Hezbollah from intervening from any location in the event of a potential war.

In this context, Syrian authorities recently announced the uncovering of a cell they said was linked to Hezbollah and had carried out what they described as terrorist operations in the Mazzeh area. 

The cell, which Hezbollah denied any connection to, was reportedly in possession of drones that could also be used to target U.S. interests and bases in Syria.