(Axios) Barak Ravid - With a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah, the U.S. will now be tasked with maintaining calm along the Israel-Lebanon border. The deal gives the U.S. the onerous tasks of monitoring violations. U.S. officials say the next step is for the Lebanese military to move into southern Lebanon and ensure that the Hizbullah militia is moving north and any remaining heavy weaponry is removed. The Lebanese military failed to carry out a similar agreement after the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah. A U.S. official contended that this time around, the U.S. will be more actively involved. While there will be no U.S. troops on the ground in southern Lebanon, U.S. military officers will work out of the embassy in Beirut in coordination with French, Israeli, Lebanese and UN officials. They will receive complaints and address violations. The deal does give Israel license to respond to direct security threats from Lebanese territory, but U.S. officials hope the monitoring system will mitigate the need to do so.
2024-11-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive