Israeli, US officials deny deal reached on deploying foreign troops to Lebanon
Israeli news portal Walla on Thursday quoted Israeli and U.S. officials as saying that "there is no agreement between Lebanon and Israel on forming a body to oversee the Lebanese Army's operations in the designated pilot zones."
The news portal added that "Israeli and American officials denied a Reuters report regarding an agreement on a future international mechanism to oversee Hezbollah's disarmament."
Walla News also quoted Israeli and U.S. officials as saying that "negotiations are ongoing regarding the mechanism that will be implemented after the UNIFIL mission ends."
Reuters had reported that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as potential contributors to a proposed mechanism that could see foreign troops deployed to Lebanon to verify Hezbollah's disarmament.
A spokesperson for Israel's Embassy to the United States said in a statement that negotiations over the composition of the body that would oversee and verify Hezbollah's disarmament were ongoing and that no agreement had yet been reached.
Switzerland's foreign ministry told Reuters it was exploring ways to support "various stabilization processes," but declined to provide details. A British foreign ministry spokesperson said Britain was ready to support efforts to de-escalate tensions and long-term security, particularly in southern Lebanon, without elaborating.
The Lebanese presidency and the Indonesian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israel's military occupies what it describes as a security zone extending 10 km into southern Lebanon and has said it will not withdraw unilaterally until Hezbollah is disarmed.
Source: Naharnet
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