Lebanon 'fights' in Rome negotiations with Israel to... fix its borders
It was no passing phenomenon that Lebanon’s predicament of being “caught between two fires” – Israel and Hezbollah – resurfaced, as part of Israel’s effort to control the dynamics of the southern front and navigate the convoluted roadmap to close it “once and for all,” timed to the requirements of the autumn elections and ensuring it retains the “guarantee” of fully disarming Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Hezbollah insisted on reviving the “connected vessels” with Iran’s front, after the framework agreement signed by Beirut, Tel Aviv, and Washington severed the “umbilical cord” that had anchored “unity of path and destiny” between the “Land of the Cedars” and the Islamic Republic.
At a time when Lebanon was waging a diplomatic battle at the Rome 2 table on the first day of the seventh round of direct negotiations with Israel, under US sponsorship – the second consecutive round hosted by the Italian capital – seeking to extract a documented Israeli “certificate of recognition” of its international borders and, consequently, an acknowledgment that the line of phased withdrawals according to the model areas scenario lies beyond these borders, Hezbollah’s leadership preempted the Lebanese authorities with a condemnatory and threatening stance articulated by its Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem. This effectively undermined the government’s position and its bargaining leverage, while bolstering Tel Aviv’s attempt to delay the withdrawal process and reinforcing its narrative, which casts doubt on Beirut’s ability to control the keys to a comprehensive solution, centered on Hezbollah’s arsenal.
In a video address, Qassem stated that “all direct negotiations have brought Lebanon nothing but shame, humiliation, disappointment, and successive concessions.” He accused “the ruling class in Lebanon” of having “freely surrendered everything it had without any benefit,” and characterized the political authority as having “served Israel instead of serving Lebanon’s sovereignty.” He added that President Joseph Aoun “did not act as a mediator and unifier, but became a partisan and a divider,” culminating in his warning that “we will confront anyone who engages in the Israeli project and implements its steps against the Resistance, its people, and our homeland, just as we confront the Israeli enemy.”
He emphasized that “stability in Lebanon is built on stability in the south. The future is one, the boat is one, and we must be one hand.” He noted that “the only option for the Israeli enemy is complete withdrawal, and they will withdraw and will not settle in Lebanon.” He affirmed support for the deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, stating, “This deployment is welcomed, and we will assist to the maximum extent, as we have assisted before.”
He recalled that “Iran worked to ensure we were listed first in the memorandum of understanding (with Washington), and it stipulated that the cessation of aggression and Israeli withdrawal be the foundation. This ceasefire would not have occurred but for this memorandum.” He called on “the political authority in Lebanon to stop making free concessions, to open the door to dialogue with the Resistance, and to repair the internal situation,” asserting that “the path of the memorandum of understanding is what will achieve the Israeli withdrawal, as the Islamic Republic of Iran has prevailed.”
He stressed the “importance and necessity of the fraternal, positive, and cooperative relationship between Lebanon and Syria,” considering that “a stable Syria is a support for Lebanon, just as a stable Lebanon is a support for Syria.” He added that there is “no obstacle to a public meeting between Hezbollah and the Syrian leadership at a time deemed appropriate by both sides.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam swiftly responded to Hezbollah, without naming it directly, via his account on the platform X. He wrote: “Today, someone emerges accusing the political authority of having ‘been an aid to Israel rather than an aid to Lebanon’s sovereignty,’ while simultaneously calling for dialogue and unity, as if Lebanese people have no memory. The truth is that the greatest aid to Israel was provided by those who unilaterally dragged Lebanon into reckless proxy wars, giving it pretexts to attack our country, trample its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, kill its sons, and displace hundreds of thousands.”
He added: “He who unilaterally decided on war and attempts to continue usurping the state’s authority, linking Lebanon to external agendas and calculations, while ignoring the interests of his constituency and Lebanese citizens at large, has no right to distribute certificates of patriotism, let alone sovereignty. Lebanon’s sovereignty exists only through a single independent decision by a state with one army, which exercises its authority over its entire territory exclusively through its own forces. As for dialogue and unity, they are built only on the courage to acknowledge painful truths and to accept responsibility for reckless choices whose exorbitant costs Lebanese people are still paying.”
He continued: “The state remains a haven for all Lebanese, especially for our people who have suffered successive losses. It remains committed to removing the Israeli occupation from every inch of our land and repatriating all our prisoners, and to ensuring the conditions for the dignified and safe return of our people to their cities, villages, fields, and homes, and to their reconstruction. Furthermore, abandoning the language of treason accusations and speaking honestly in calling for dialogue and national solidarity is our most viable path to strengthening Lebanon’s capacity to confront these immense challenges.”
Hezbollah’s barrage of attacks on the political authority did not divert attention from the Rome negotiations, whose seventh round continues until Thursday. On Tuesday, discussions focused on the re-establishment and consolidation of internationally recognized borders, and the verification mechanism to ensure that areas from which Israel withdraws—within the framework of experimental phases—are free of Hezbollah weapons and that such weapons do not return. This was alongside halting Tel Aviv’s land-clearing and bombing operations, and cementing the ceasefire.
While journalistic reports described the atmosphere of Tuesday’s talks, held with expanded delegations, particularly from Lebanon and the United States, as “delicate and sensitive,” information indicated that the Lebanese side presented a dossier on Israeli attacks and called for full compliance with the ceasefire. It also documented the results of the army’s deployment in the first pilot areas (Western Zouitar, Faroun, and Sareea) and their surroundings.
According to available data, the verification mechanism, which Americans view as a gateway to transitioning to other experimental phases, revolves around implementation details, including the body that will oversee the military committee tasked with confirming that the included towns have become “compliant with specifications.” The United States refuses any field presence, Lebanon objects to any direct Israeli role or any framework involving coordination with it, and Tel Aviv holds a veto over any French participation. These intersecting positions are likely to result in an Italian general presiding over the committee.
In the same vein, the land border file was treated as a prominent card that could bolster Lebanon’s diplomatic leverage, compensating for the expected Israeli rejection of a rapid schedule for new withdrawals (Beirut aims for Bint Jbeil and Khiam to be next) before the verification of the first phase. This comes amid Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire to face his elections with zero withdrawals from the “Yellow Line” area.
Agreements on the issue of the land border between Lebanon and Israel and on the contentious points surrounding it would constitute a significant, albeit delayed, breakthrough, finally closing the chapter on Israeli ambitions for Lebanese territory, even as Tel Aviv links its full withdrawal to the complete disarmament of Hezbollah.
While reports indicated that the Lebanese negotiating delegation refused to discuss the economic file in the presence of the Israeli delegation, amid expectations that committees would be formed to examine issues that are part of a comprehensive agreement, sources close to the Lebanese Presidency were quoted as saying that “the discussion during the negotiation round began with the technical and detailed aspects of the executive mechanisms specific to the model areas.”
She stated that “the Lebanese delegation insisted on elevating the demand for a ceasefire commitment to the Israeli political level, awaiting responses, and the American side is very understanding of this request,” noting that it “also requested the exploration of new model areas after reaching the executive and technical mechanism.”
She added that “the Israeli delegation retreated, for the first time, from its previous position regarding the land border, and work will be done to re-establish the internationally demarcated borders.”
On the anniversary of the tragedy that claimed more than 230 lives and injured approximately 6,000 people when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in Warehouse 12 at the capital’s port exploded on August 4, 2020, destroying half of it in seconds, the victims’ families renewed their demands for truth, justice, and accountability, all of which remain absent.
As for Justice Minister Adnan Nasser, he affirmed that “the verdict will be issued, and the trial will follow; this is the state’s duty, not a favor,” clarifying that “the Public Prosecution is working seriously and diligently, without delay, to complete the review of the investigation file into the port explosion, while respecting the independence of the judiciary. The review is expected to be completed before the end of the year, and procedures are proceeding at a normal pace.”
The Lebanese Army announced that “as a result of security monitoring of smuggling operations across the northern and eastern borders, a unit of the army arrested Grad 122mm missiles being smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanese territory in Jdeidet Arsal, along with a pickup truck used to transport them, and detained two citizens (A.H.) and (M.W.), who are members of a smuggling network.”
