The issue of restricting arms and extending state authority topped the meetings held by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his accompanying delegation in New York, amid international questions over progress on the ground, alongside a military escalation by Israel in southern Lebanon and diplomatic expectations that the eighth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel will be postponed until after the Israeli elections scheduled for late October.
Military escalation in southern Lebanon
Over the past two days, the Israeli air force has carried out a series of raids accompanied by artillery shelling targeting several towns in southern Lebanon. The strikes included sites within what has become known as the “Yellow Line”, as well as others in the Nabatieh district, in addition to the heights of Iqlim al-Tuffah.
Observers believe that the Iqlim al-Tuffah heights could be the next target of the Israeli army, after it announced that it had taken control of the Ali al-Taher heights, pointing to the presence of military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in the area. This comes as tensions continue on the ground, alongside political and diplomatic efforts related to the Lebanese issue.
Prospects of postponing the eighth round of negotiations
According to diplomatic sources, the eighth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, sponsored by the United States, is unlikely to be held before the Israeli elections in late October. The sources added that even if a date for the round were set before the end of the month, it would probably produce no specific results and would be, in their words, “only for the cameras”.
Lebanon, meanwhile, is relying on the diplomatic efforts launched by Salam and his accompanying delegation on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. The prime minister held meetings with a number of presidents and ministers concerned with the Lebanese issue, in an attempt to discuss security and political developments and the commitments required of Beirut.
The diplomatic sources described the New York meetings as good, but said that many questions had been raised about what had been achieved on the ground, particularly regarding the decision to restrict arms and extend state authority. They said that time was passing without any tangible progress and that the Lebanese government was required to implement its commitments regarding arms. The sources warned that Lebanon’s delay in fulfilling those commitments would make matters more difficult.
They also said that the international community was relying on the Lebanese army to fulfil its duties in implementing the decision to restrict arms, particularly in the area north of the Litani River, as the official body tasked with enforcing the decision.
UNIFIL’s future after its mandate ends
Regarding the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, the sources said that its mandate would end at the end of the year, stressing that it would not be renewed in the south. They added that no alternative arrangement had yet been adopted for the period after the mandate ends. Lebanon insists that official authority over negotiations, as well as decisions on war and peace, must remain exclusive.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, continues to criticise the framework agreement and direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Its secretary-general, Naim Qassem, called for this process to be halted and for a return to the format of indirect negotiations.
Salam reaffirmed the Lebanese position during a meeting with an Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, stressing that Lebanon was not an arena for exchanging messages. He also called on Iran to appoint a new ambassador in Beirut instead of the current ambassador, Mohammad Reza Shibani, whom Lebanon deemed a “persona non grata”.
According to accounts of Salam’s meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian side rejected appointing a replacement for Shibani and affirmed its insistence that he remain ambassador even if his stay in Lebanon ended. This kept the issue of diplomatic representation between the two countries among the matters raised during the New York activities.
