Diplomatic source in Lebanon: No plans for a new round of negotiations with Israel

A Lebanese diplomatic source told the correspondent of the Al-Mayadeen channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, this morning (Monday) that "there are no plans for a new round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel next month." He added that "if a new round of negotiations takes place, it appears it will be held after the current summer."

The source said that "the American side and the Israeli side refused to expand the pilot zones before progress is achieved in the two previous zones," and added that "the Lebanese delegation rejected the Israeli claims that all the explosions in southern Lebanon stem from attacks on military infrastructure." He further said that "the American and Israeli delegations demanded the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the Ali Taher ridge in the Nabatieh area."

Meanwhile, a senior political figure in Lebanon tells the newspaper "Nidaa al-Watan" that the US administration is currently interested in addressing two issues in the context of the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon: the ceasefire and the pilot zones. The source noted that American General Joseph Clearfield will arrive in Beirut to follow up on these issues and discuss mechanisms for their advancement, this after the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, visited Israel over the weekend.

Last night, it was reported on Channel 13 News that the gaps between Israel and the United States are deepening, and that the US administration is exerting pressure on Israel to end the war on all three active fronts. In Lebanon, the Americans are interested in having the IDF withdraw from additional points in the security zone in the south of the country. A senior IDF officer told Channel 13 News over the weekend that "the Lebanese government has de facto agreed to the IDF's presence on its territory - this is a dramatic event." The officer further said that "in the medium term, there is potential for real change in Lebanon."

A Lebanese official who spoke with the Reuters news agency stated that as part of the negotiations, Israel and Lebanon agreed on a number of countries that will send inspectors to examine the disarmament of Hezbollah.

The New York Times reported yesterday that against the backdrop of the war with Israel, Hezbollah is facing the most severe economic crisis in years, according to documents obtained by the newspaper and interviews with Lebanese, American, and Israeli sources. According to the report, the first targets that the IDF attacked in the war against Hezbollah were more than a dozen branches of a financial institution known as Al-Qard al-Hassan, which served as the terrorist organization's bank. Also attacked were shops that Iran used to transfer money to Hezbollah, as well as gas stations that generated revenue for the organization.