Haykal seeks govt. backing: August 5 and 7 scenario to reportedly repeat itself
Just a few days separate us from Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal's presentation to Cabinet of his plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani River.
Upon his return from the United States, where he has been holding a series of meetings since the beginning of the week, Cabinet will convene at the Baabda Palace and Haykal will attend to explain the details of the second phase of the plan, complete with maps, figures and dates, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported.
Informed official sources revealed to the daily that this roadmap is now ready and that Haykal took it with him to Washington. While it delves into the details of the “Litani-Awali phase,” it also outlines the subsequent phases, from north of the Awali to Beirut, then the Bekaa Valley, and finally to all of Lebanon.
“The army commander requested American and international military support for the Lebanese Armed Forces during his visit to the United States. He will reiterate this request during several foreign trips before the conference to support the Lebanese Army, scheduled for next March in Paris. He will travel between Saudi Arabia, Germany and Qatar, urging major capitals to participate actively in the conference to help the army implement its plan effectively,” the daily said.
According to the sources, the Cabinet's upcoming session will likely mirror the scenarios of the meetings held on August 5 and 7. The majority of the government, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, is leaning towards approving the North Litani plan and requesting that the relevant authorities begin its implementation.
In contrast, it appears that the ministers from the Amal-Hezbollah alliance will withdraw from the session in protest against the decision, in line with Hezbollah's position rejecting any "further concessions from Lebanon before the Israeli side halts its attacks, withdraws from the south, and releases the prisoners."
Furthermore, Hezbollah considers the effects of the November 27 agreement and Resolution 1701 to be limited to the area south of the Litani River.
The sources also revealed that there are contacts behind the scenes between Baabda and Ain el-Tineh in a bid to calm the atmosphere on the eve of the session and to “soften Hezbollah’s stance” on it. However, the sources noted that this will not be an easy task, seeing as Hezbollah is hardening its stances more than ever as it awaits the outcome of the U.S.-Iranian negotiations.
The sources however emphasized that “the government’s resolution will be issued and the army will implement it.”
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