October 18, 2026
Lebanon is awaiting the results of the contacts conducted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to persuade him to respond to the proposal to hold a Lebanese-Israeli military meeting under American sponsorship in Florida, initially scheduled for October 20-22. This movement comes, according to an article by writer Muhammad Shukair published by Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, amid a Lebanese bet that the meeting will constitute a gateway to establishing a ceasefire, stopping hostilities, and reducing the level of tension in the south.
In this context, a source concerned with the negotiations confirmed to the newspaper that President Joseph Aoun informed Minister Rubio – during a phone call that also addressed the issue of the Hezbollah explosives truck, which was seized by security forces at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint – of Lebanon’s readiness to participate in the military meeting, which will be held days before the Israeli Knesset elections. Through it, Lebanon aims to oblige Netanyahu to activate the “Framework Agreement” and implement it in stages, as well as to remove the “verification mechanism” from a state of stagnation in the “pilot zone” in preparation for expanding its scope to include occupied cities and towns.
The source indicated that the Lebanese adherence to the “Framework Agreement” aims to cut off any bet on the Iranian-American “Memorandum of Understanding” being an alternative to it, especially in light of the suspension of its implementation amid an exchange of threats. He stressed that Beirut is demanding that Washington take practical steps to enhance its diplomatic option, especially after the large human and material losses that Lebanon incurred as a result of the military option followed by Hezbollah.
On the regional diplomacy front, the source considered that the call of the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, with President Aoun did not bring anything new, and he sought to stabilize the Iranian presence and contain the tension resulting from the government’s withdrawal of the credentials of the Iranian ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad Reza Shaibani. In the same context, the visit of the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, to Beirut was described as “Shiite par excellence,” because it was limited to meeting with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and the leadership of Hezbollah, in light of the President of the Republic and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam not showing enthusiasm for holding meetings with him.
In terms of preparations for the Florida meeting, the source confirmed that the Lebanese military delegation, headed by the Director of the Army Operations Room, Brigadier General George Rizkallah, is ready to travel, awaiting the American green light to confirm the date. Lebanon is counting on the meeting to bring about a breach in the file of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, stop the bulldozing of towns in the security zone, and expand the “experimental zone” to include the towns located on the outskirts of Beaufort Castle all the way to the Ali al-Taher Hills, with efforts being made to discuss an alternative to the “UNIFIL” forces as their duties near end at the end of this year, or to reach an agreement on a UN force to supervise the Israeli withdrawal.
Regarding internal affairs, the source stressed the consistency of the official position regarding the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the state, and the necessity of absorbing illegal weapons north of the Litani River and up to the Syrian border. He stressed that the state did not respond to pressure from Hezbollah to release the seized explosives truck, stressing that the file is in the hands of the judiciary, and that the position of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in this regard is irreversible.
The source concluded by warning that the threats of Hezbollah representatives to retrieve the explosives – under the pretext of using them through assault marches to confront the Israeli army – permanently close the door to any dialogue, considering that the party’s major crisis lies in its refusal to acknowledge the new political phase in Lebanon, and its failure to coexist with regional transformations despite its adherence to its weapons.
