Between Western capitals, and the exchanged political messages, Lebanon’s hot file continues to move from one place to another… a burning south, stalled negotiations, and repeated attempts to achieve a breakthrough that could open the door to a settlement. While Israel appears more focused on drawing new borders by fire than on demarcating the borders of negotiations, Ali Al-Taher Hill is turning into a political and military bargaining chip, as Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to use it in his electoral battle.
Meanwhile, Ain al-Tineh has brought out the weapon of direct proposals, sending through the American Task Force for Lebanon a fully-fledged proposal, placing its bet on U.S. President Donald Trump… the only one capable of obliging Israel to end its war and withdraw to the international borders in the south. At that point, President Berri would guarantee the immediate deployment of the Lebanese Army south of the Litani River, making it the sole force responsible for security and the only party authorized to carry weapons in that area, where residents have the right to return and rebuild.
The Speaker of Parliament directed his negotiating weapon straight at the American mediator. Ambassador Edward Gabriel spoke of a proposal concerning Ali Al-Taher Hill, conveying Berri’s position that if the Israelis agree to have the Lebanese Army take control of the area, in order to prevent Israel from causing widespread destruction, Berri would do everything in his power to communicate directly with Hezbollah and persuade it to accept the agreement.
Berri has made his position clear, while Ambassador Gabriel pledged to convey the statements to decision-makers. At this point, Washington appears to face the task of rescuing the negotiations from beneath the pressure of fire, while the battlefield appears unwilling to wait for diplomacy.
At this delicate juncture, President Joseph Aoun begins his visit to Italy. The visit has three dimensions: Rome is hosting negotiations on the implementation of the trilateral framework, including the verification mechanism; it is also concerned with the post-UNIFIL phase and is conducting a series of contacts with various parties interested in Lebanon.
As for the Vatican visit, according to an official source who spoke to Al Jadeed, it falls within the framework of coordination with Vatican diplomacy, which has been working quietly and discreetly from Washington to the Middle East.
Within the European framework as well, the French message arrived, inviting Lebanon to a preparatory meeting to be held on September 17, ahead of the international conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces.
Between Rome, Paris and the southern front, the equation has become a frantic race between negotiating tables and support efforts on one side, and a battlefield seeking to redraw the limits of diplomacy and negotiations under the ceiling of fire on the other.
From Lebanon’s volatile border to the tense regional situation, an Israeli airstrike on the Abu Al-Duhur military airport in Idlib nearly opened a front with Turkey. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said the region had come within one step of a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey.
Barrack’s warning does not stop at the airstrike. The issue goes beyond an Israeli strike in Syria to the possibility of a confrontation that could be sparked by a single miscalculation, in a space where aircraft, interests and influence intersect.