Britain and Italy are candidates to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah

Washington, Beirut, Rome – Agencies: Sources close to the matter revealed that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to nominate Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia as potential contributors to a proposed mechanism that could lead to the deployment of foreign forces in Lebanon to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah. The two sides agreed on this shortlist during talks held in Rome last week with U.S. mediation, marking the latest round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over the implementation of the June agreement, which conditions Israel’s gradual withdrawal from Lebanon on the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Three sources said these countries could help define the scope of the mechanism, provide personnel to oversee its implementation, contribute monitoring forces, or participate in inspections related to disarmament verification. A Lebanese official told Reuters that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a list of countries that could send forces for disarmament verification, but he declined to name them, stating that the United States would make the final decision on participation.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter said discussions about the candidate countries were still in their early stages, but added that they were “cautiously optimistic” about the continuation of these efforts.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in the United States said that negotiations on forming the body that would oversee and verify Hezbollah’s disarmament were still ongoing, and that no agreement had yet been reached.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry told Reuters that it was exploring ways to support “various stability operations,” but declined to provide details. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said London was ready to support efforts to de-escalate tensions and achieve long-term security, particularly in southern Lebanon, without adding further details.