The American administration is placing considerable weight on the security meeting scheduled at the Pentagon on May 29 between the Lebanese and Israeli military sides. The session is expected to launch a track laden with talks on Hezbollah's weapons from both military and security perspectives, as well as logistical and oversight dimensions — particularly south of the Litani River in the first phase.
These security negotiations are no less significant than the diplomatic talks scheduled for June 2 and 3, and are being prepared with notable attention by the American administration, which is the official sponsor of these discussions. Lebanon will be represented by six army officers, among them Lebanese military attaché in Washington Brigadier General Olivier Hekmat — who is highly regarded by the American administration. Israel will similarly be represented by a delegation of six military officers, under the supervision of American defense ministry military officials.
Information from Washington indicates that the upcoming Pentagon meeting will not be limited to the technical dimension of Lebanese army deployment south of the Litani, but will go beyond that to examine comprehensive technological oversight mechanisms — to ensure the immediate and public dismantlement of armed infrastructure south of the Litani, so that the mistakes of the previous experience during the fifteen months preceding the last war are not repeated.
Al-Modon has learned from American sources that the Lebanese side coordinating with the American side at the Pentagon is President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese army command, which has been working since the appointment was set last week to prepare its files comprehensively and select the identity and ranks of the officers within the military delegation — aiming to provide clear and precise answers to everything that will be raised during the talks. American and Israeli military officials will ask the Lebanese delegation about its plan to place all weapons under state control, and about its logistical, technical, financial, and operational requirements to execute its mission.
The information indicates that the Pentagon will establish an operations room to expand the scope of military and security coordination between Lebanon and Israel with the aim of dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure, and to reactivate the monitoring mechanism known as "the mechanism," with an expanded scope of field coordination.
No Hezbollah Disarmament Without the Army
American information notes that Washington and Tel Aviv have come to understand that disarming Hezbollah cannot happen without the help of the Lebanese army. Despite intensive Israeli military operations and the occupation of dozens of towns in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's military capabilities have not been fully dismantled. There is therefore now complete conviction, according to American sources, that the Lebanese army's contribution is essential. Accordingly, the Israeli side will present during the negotiations intelligence and maps identifying Hezbollah's military positions in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley — positions that Israeli ground and air operations failed to destroy during months of fighting due to difficult terrain, underground infrastructure, and the extensive military countermeasures Hezbollah had adopted.
No New Brigade in the Army
As for talk of establishing a new brigade within the Lebanese army to be trained and financed by Washington to carry out disarmament operations targeting Hezbollah, informed American sources confirm this is inaccurate, because it is not logical that any brigade — however well equipped and trained — could disarm Hezbollah on its own. Rather, the American administration wants to equip the Lebanese army as a whole with everything it needs to extend its authority over all Lebanese territory. It is worth noting that a large number of Lebanese officers have previously completed military training courses in the United States and undergone advanced training programs there. Sources clarify that the work will focus on closing existing gaps in the army to enable it to carry out its missions effectively — leading to the dismantlement of Hezbollah's structure — and on strengthening coordination, under American mediation, with the Israeli army to ensure the success of these missions.
A Ceasefire Conditioned on an Army Agreement
Informed American sources rule out a consolidation of the ceasefire or the setting of a timetable for Israeli withdrawal from the south before agreement is reached on concrete steps by the Lebanese army that confirm, beyond any doubt, that it is dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure — even if that requires entering civilian buildings suspected of storing weapons. Sources also note that the Pentagon meetings will establish operational coordination mechanisms allowing Israeli officers to monitor inspection operations conducted by the Lebanese army through a joint operations room operating under American oversight — lending the process greater credibility while preserving Israeli freedom of movement when the Lebanese army fails to execute a given mission.
The Pentagon meetings will not be symbolic. Their goal is to create the operational mechanisms that help the Lebanese army implement the Lebanese government's decisions regarding Hezbollah's military wing. Sources note that the American administration is aware of the sensitivity of this matter and of Lebanon's fragile internal sectarian composition.
The Pentagon negotiation process will, according to sources, be crowned by a security agreement ending the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel — in parallel with the diplomatic negotiations — with the details of this agreement still contingent on the course of negotiations in the coming phase. Its most prominent elements will be: consolidation of the ceasefire, full and comprehensive dismantlement of Hezbollah's military infrastructure south of the Litani, withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territory, deployment of the Lebanese army in the south, and the return of Lebanese prisoners from Israeli jails.
