Berri Asks for Negotiations Under Arab-Iranian Umbrella Under American Sponsorship

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has asked Hezbollah to submit a written and complete vision for resolving the crisis in the south, in preparation for presenting it to the government and discussing it officially, according to Al-Joumhouria newspaper, citing a source it said is close to Hezbollah and the Amal movement.

The source told the Lebanese newspaper that this paper has become "necessary" to put notes on it and avoid circulating in the same circle without any real progress, noting that "there is no deadline yet for the next round of negotiations," while President Aoun continues to coordinate his steps with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berri on the American proposal.

According to the source, Aoun is waiting to receive this written map from the party to determine the next political path, at a time when the timetable for negotiations is still undecided, despite Berri's rush to reach a comprehensive ceasefire that paves the way for discussing the subsequent files.

According to the source, Berri is pushing for a comprehensive ceasefire, but considers that the proposals that have been reached so far are "general" and lack clear implementation mechanisms, especially with regard to the experimental zones, which he refuses to witness a unilateral Israeli withdrawal.

The source predicted that progress will be made in the coming hours, in connection with the diplomatic movement in Islamabad, pointing out that Berri's initiative is based on a ceasefire first, and then putting the pending files on the negotiating table under an Arab-Iranian umbrella and under the auspices of the United States, with a pivotal role for both Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Sources: The south is going through critical days

Political sources revealed to the newspaper that Benjamin Netanyahu's government is treating negotiations with Lebanon as a tool to maneuver and buy time, rather than as a serious path toward an agreement.

The sources explained that Tel Aviv has leaked ideas about gradual security arrangements and model areas, not with the aim of reaching a close understanding, but to use them as political cover that would give the IDF additional time to advance on the ground south.

The sources stated that Netanyahu is currently focusing on achieving military gains on the Nabatieh and Tyre axes, considering that controlling them will consolidate the reality of the "second security belt" up to the south of the Zahrani River, after imposing a similar reality south of the Litani, warning that the south is going through "critical days" between the Lebanese state's adherence to diplomacy as the only option and an Israeli maneuver that uses negotiation as a cover for new gnawing operations.

Themes of the Washington Proposal

The current U.S. proposal revolves around a revised formula coupled with a timetable and rounds of negotiations in Washington, with the aim of transforming the temporary truce into a comprehensive security and political agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

According to diplomatic data, the recent contacts resulted in preliminary understandings that were agreed by Hezbollah and communicated to the Lebanese embassy in Washington , and the proposal stipulates that Israel stop targeting Beirut and Dahiya, in exchange for Hezbollah's commitment to a comprehensive halt to its operations and cross-border fire.

The proposal includes the establishment of "test zones" in the south under the exclusive control of the Lebanese Army, and the removal of armed manifestations north of the Litani, with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the sites they recently infiltrated in conjunction with the prisoners' file, provided that Washington meetings will continue to discuss the outstanding files and post-ceasefire arrangements, including the stabilization of the land border and the implementation of Resolution 1701.