Italy Emerges as Potential Overseer for Hezbollah Disarmament in Southern Lebanon
Lebanese sources indicate that the lack of a verification mechanism is delaying the expansion of pilot zones for IDF withdrawal. Lebanese Army Commander Rudolph Hikal is in Rome to discuss the mechanism, international force composition, and the future of UNIFIL.
Efforts to resolve the issue of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon are ongoing, but according to Lebanese sources, it has not yet been decided which body will verify the process. According to a report in the Lebanese newspaper "Al-Joumhouria," Italy is currently the leading candidate for the role.
Sources warned that as long as an agreed-upon mechanism for verifying disarmament is not established, it will not be possible to expand the pilot zones as part of the discussed process of IDF withdrawal. Thus, the stalemate surrounding the implementation of the arrangement in southern Lebanon continues.
Meanwhile, the commander of the Lebanese Army, Rudolph Hikal, is in Rome to hold a series of meetings on the subject. The focus of the discussions is the question of the verification mechanism: who will operate it, how it will be carried out, and in what manner the international force tasked with the mission will operate.
In addition, the parties are expected to discuss the size of the international force, its composition, and the operational procedures that will guide it. At the same time, discussions are taking place regarding the future of the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon, whose current mandate is set to expire at the end of the year.
According to the report, Hikal is expected to convey a message to the relevant parties in Rome that Lebanon does not object in principle to the establishment of a disarmament verification mechanism, but demands that the process be carried out in full and mutual coordination.
The Lebanese Army commander is also emphasizing the need not to cast doubt on the activities of the Lebanese Army and its efforts in the south of the country. The message is intended to ensure that any international mechanism established will not be perceived as a substitute for the Lebanese Army or as an expression of distrust in its ability to perform its assigned tasks.
At this stage, no final decision has been reached regarding the body that will carry out the verification. Until a decision is made, the expansion of the pilot zones for IDF withdrawal remains on hold, and negotiations surrounding the implementation of the arrangement in southern Lebanon continue.
