Washington moved ahead of the Lebanese-Israeli security negotiations scheduled for May 29 by imposing sanctions on two officers from the Lebanese Army and General Security, marking the first time US measures have targeted Lebanese security officials alongside figures affiliated with or accused of cooperating with Hezbollah.
The sanctions, announced Thursday, targeted nine individuals, including Mohammad Fneish, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council; Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad Reza Sheibani; and three Hezbollah lawmakers: Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, and Hussein Hajj Hassan. Also sanctioned were Ahmad Baalbaki and Ali Safawi, both considered close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
In a notable development, the measures also targeted Colonel Samer Hamadeh, head of Army Intelligence in Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Brigadier General Khattar Nassereddine, head of the Analysis Department at General Security.
Meanwhile, Lebanese ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut is awaiting an Israeli response, through the United States, to its request that Washington pressure Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement. According to the sources, Tel Aviv has neither responded nor adhered to the terms of the deal. “Lebanon is still waiting for a response that the United States will convey from Israel,” the sources said.
Last week, Lebanon held its first direct negotiation session with Israel in Washington, while the ceasefire agreement was extended for an additional six weeks. The extension, however, appears limited to Beirut and its southern suburbs, excluding southern Lebanon, where exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military continue.
A Lebanese military delegation is due to participate on May 29 in security talks with Israeli army representatives at the US Department of Defense headquarters.
The Lebanese sources said Beirut had finalized the composition of its military delegation, which will consist of four officers, though the Army Command has yet to issue the official order naming them.
Responding to media speculation over the delegation’s makeup, the Lebanese Army Command said in a statement that discussion of the “sectarian distribution” of the officers “has no connection whatsoever to the principles of the military institution.”
The command stressed that the delegation, regardless of its composition, “remains committed to national constants,” adding that the officers assigned to the mission represent the nation and remain bound by the army’s doctrine and national duty.
Since the truce was announced on April 17 - and its 45-day extension took effect Monday - Israel has continued carrying out strikes it says target Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, while also conducting demolition operations in border areas occupied by its forces.
The Israeli military has also continued issuing near-daily evacuation warnings for villages and towns, with the affected areas often extending far beyond the border region and including communities hosting displaced residents from elsewhere in the country.
French Warning
French President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, warned Thursday that Lebanon is “in a dangerous situation.”
In an interview with BFM TV and RMC Radio, Le Drian said Lebanon faces “a dangerous situation regarding its unity and territorial integrity,” citing divisions among Lebanese factions over Hezbollah and Israel.
“Lebanon’s territorial integrity is under threat,” he stated, adding that Israel occupies part of Lebanese territory while Hezbollah operates in another “in service of Iranian interests — the interests of a foreign power.”
Despite that, Le Drian welcomed the continuation of the truce, saying it opens “a 45-day horizon for continuing discussions.”
He also praised Lebanese leaders engaged in the process as “high-level” and “courageous,” referring to their request for direct negotiations with Israel aimed at freeing Lebanon “from this stranglehold” and restoring the Lebanese state’s ability “to function and exist.”
Le Drian further described US involvement in the negotiations as “a positive thing,” even though, he noted, Israel has rejected French participation in the talks despite Lebanon’s request for it.
