Israeli and Lebanese military officials will meet in Tampa, Florida, from October 20 to 22. A central question on the table is which party will verify that Hezbollah weapons have been removed from southern Lebanon.
An unnamed American source outlined the agenda to the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, and i24NEWS carried the details. The talks will be confined to military and security matters, and no political negotiations are planned.
The stakes for Israel's north are direct. Israel has insisted that any lasting arrangement on its northern border must prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding the military infrastructure that once allowed it to threaten Israeli communities.
The delegations will concentrate on implementing the security provisions of the framework agreement. These include arrangements for pilot zones in southern Lebanon and the terms for deploying the Lebanese army. Officials will also take up a mechanism to confirm that weapons and military installations in the south have been cleared. Deciding which body carries out those checks is one of the main items.
Matzav reported that the sessions will be held at the headquarters of US Central Command in Tampa.
The framework, negotiated with American mediation, requires Hezbollah and other armed groups to leave designated areas, with Lebanese government forces taking over security there. The Lebanese army is tasked with dismantling Hezbollah weapons caches, tunnels, command centers and other installations, and with keeping the group's operatives from returning. Israeli military withdrawals proceed in phases, and each stage depends on verification that the infrastructure has been removed and that Lebanese forces can hold the ground.
