Official media in Iran quoted an Iranian source close to the negotiating team as saying that the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon is a prerequisite for reaching a final agreement between Tehran and Washington, describing this issue as a “red line” for Iran.
The Iranian position comes at a time when negotiations related to southern Lebanon are faltering, as an American source revealed to Al-Arabiya channel that the Lebanon-Israel meeting has reached a dead end due to the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
According to the source, the Lebanese side is demanding a clear timetable for withdrawal, while Washington is pushing for an agreement that includes a phased withdrawal of Israel from the south, in an attempt to dismantle the crisis through gradual steps.
On the other hand, senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied any Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone in southern Lebanon, after an American official announced that Israel had withdrawn some of its forces from the region in what he described as a “goodwill gesture” toward the Lebanese government.
An Israeli official said that Tel Aviv will not withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, while Israeli government spokesman David Menser confirmed that Israel will not withdraw as long as the party poses a threat, is not disarmed and its military capabilities are not stripped.
Israel and Lebanon are discussing a US-backed proposal requiring the Israeli army to hand over part of the Lebanese territory it controlled during the war to the Lebanese army, as a preliminary step for Lebanon to regain control of these areas.
The proposal to establish a “pilot zone” is part of the latest rounds of ongoing talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, but this path is facing a decline in momentum as Iran seeks to include the Lebanese file in its negotiations with the United States.
The sensitivity of this file increases after the United States and Iran signed an interim agreement that ends hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and includes a pledge to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, the interpretation of this clause has become a fundamental point of contention, as Tehran believes that it imposes an Israeli withdrawal from the south, while Tel Aviv links any withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah and new security arrangements.
