Lebanon’s government and public were caught off guard by Israeli leaks suggesting a potential deal that would link Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the demarcation of land borders to a normalization agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv.
However, Lebanon firmly rejects the idea, stressing that border talks are strictly security-focused, limited to Israel’s withdrawal, border delineation, and the release of detainees.
The leaks, attributed to an Israeli political source, emerged a day after Israel released four Lebanese detainees in what it described as a “goodwill gesture.” The development coincided with preparations for negotiations on disputed border points.
Israeli media quoted a political source as saying that talks with Lebanon are part of a broader, comprehensive plan.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies have reshaped the Middle East, and Israel wants to maintain this momentum to achieve normalization with Lebanon, the source said.
Just as Lebanon has demands regarding the border, Israel has its own demands as well, and these issues will be discussed, the source further stated.
The remarks were seen as an Israeli attempt to link border demarcation and withdrawal from Lebanese territory to a normalization agreement, according to a Lebanese lawmaker following the developments.
However, Lebanon firmly rejects any such linkage, considering it an overreach beyond the mandate of the committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on November 26.
A senior Lebanese official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the idea of linking border discussions to normalization with Israel is “not on the table for Lebanon.”
The official emphasized that the mandate of the five-nation committee, formed after the recent conflict, is “security-focused, not political,” and is strictly limited to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
The official explained that the committee's role is “confined to overseeing Israel’s withdrawal from five remaining occupied border points, demarcating the 13 disputed border areas, and securing the release of Lebanese detainees held by Israel.”
While the remarks were attributed to an unnamed source rather than an official spokesperson, they caught Lebanese officials off guard.
Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry had not been informed of any such proposal and that no international official had raised the issue so far.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met on Tuesday with US General Jasper Jeffers, head of the ceasefire monitoring committee, alongside US Ambassador Lisa Johnson, ahead of a committee meeting in Naqoura.
According to the Lebanese presidency, Aoun urged the committee chief to pressure Israel to implement the agreement, withdraw from the five occupied hills, and release Lebanese detainees.
