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Delay of Lebanon-Israel Technical Meeting Stalls Implementation of Pilot Zones Plan

An Israeli flag hangs from a building in an area occupied by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP)
An Israeli flag hangs from a building in an area occupied by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP)
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Delay of Lebanon-Israel Technical Meeting Stalls Implementation of Pilot Zones Plan

An Israeli flag hangs from a building in an area occupied by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP)
An Israeli flag hangs from a building in an area occupied by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP)

The United States has postponed a virtual meeting between Lebanese, Israeli and US military delegations that had been expected on Friday to discuss the first phase of the “pilot zones” plan.

The delay puts the practical rollout of the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel on hold, particularly the pilot zone arrangements, and renews questions over an implementation process that still has no clear timetable.

The technical meeting was agreed during the latest round of negotiations in Rome at the start of the week. It was intended to finalize the first phase mechanism: Israeli forces would withdraw from several pilot zones, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy there under the supervision of the monitoring committee. The plan would then expand in later stages.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington requested the postponement, saying more time was needed to complete technical files, operational plans and implementation procedures.

No new date was set.

The sources said the meeting could instead take place during a visit by US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, who is due in Beirut on July 23. Cooper met President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese army commander General Rodolphe Haykal late last month.

Military sources, however, linked the delay to Israeli actions on the ground in Lebanon.

“Israel is continuing its systematic destruction of border villages in what appears to be an attempt to complete its objectives on the ground before committing to any implementation agreement,” the sources said.

They said Israel, which still refuses to withdraw from Lebanese territory, was trying to limit the pilot zone plan to locations it does not occupy. Washington, meanwhile, is pressing Israel to begin implementing the agreement by withdrawing from areas under its control.

The sources said the disagreement explained Israel’s attempts to buy time and delay the start of actual implementation.

The sixth round of direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, held in Rome under US sponsorship, ended with an agreement to finalize the pilot zone structure and begin implementation within days.

The plan forms part of the framework agreement aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and preparing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal in return for the deployment of the Lebanese army. But the agreement sets no binding deadline for a full Israeli withdrawal.

Israel says it will not leave the security zone it seeks to retain, stretching about 10 km from the border, until Hezbollah has been disarmed in those areas.

That condition is widely seen as highly difficult under Lebanon’s current circumstances.

Israeli soldiers walk at the entrance to Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP)

Violations and destruction continue

On the ground, Israeli violations continued across southern Lebanon as the Lebanese army expanded its deployment.

The army deployed in the town of Froun in the Bint Jbeil district and began intensive patrols. Froun is one of six villages being considered for the pilot phase.

Israeli forces continued demolishing homes, most recently in Bint Jbeil.

Israeli drones also struck Mayfadoun and Choukine, carried out three strikes on the Naqoura road and hit Mansouri. Another strike on Naqoura wounded a Syrian worker.

Israeli forces also carried out a large explosion on Friday morning in Hadatha, near the outskirts of Aita al-Jabal, and continued combing operations in several border areas.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of victims of the strike on Mansouri late on Thursday.

Residents of Haris appealed to the Lebanese army to evacuate civilians trapped during an Israeli combing operation, the state-run National News Agency reported.

This handout photograph released by the Lebanese army press office on July 15, 2026 shows Lebanese army vehicles patrolling in southern Lebanon. (Lebanese Army Press Office / AFP)

Hezbollah steps up criticism, warns of internal instability

Hezbollah, meanwhile, continued to attack the framework agreement and the Lebanese authorities’ handling of the negotiations.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said the Rome talks had exposed the weakness of Lebanon’s official position.

He accused the authorities of pursuing negotiations despite continuing Israeli military operations and following policies aimed at satisfying the United States and Israel.

Fayyad warned that the approach threatened domestic stability.

“These authorities are determined to take the country to an extremely dangerous place,” he said.

He said the process would neither restore Lebanese territory nor protect sovereignty, but would instead cost the country its internal stability and national unity.

Fayyad said the “resistance [Hezbollah] is ready for all possibilities and options” and remained committed to what he described as its principles of defending Lebanon, liberating occupied territory and securing the return of residents to their villages.

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Arab World

Tunisia: Former Presidential Candidate Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi
Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi
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Tunisia: Former Presidential Candidate Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi
Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi

A Tunisian military court sentenced opposition politician Olfa Hamdi to four years in prison on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the military to disobey orders, her lawyer said on Wednesday.

The charges against the dual Tunisian and American national stemmed from social media posts and included inciting military personnel to disobey orders, lawyer Akram Moussa said.

Hamdi briefly served as head of national airline company Tunisair before her sacking in 2021, later running a consulting firm in the United States.

In Tunisia's 2024 presidential vote, Hamdi -- then 36 -- sought to run for the top role, but her candidacy was turned down as she did not meet the 40-year age limit for candidates.

A critic of President Kais Saied, Hamdi was already sentenced to two years in prison earlier this year after her arrest upon arrival at Tunis airport in February.

The latest sentence against her came from two additional convictions, with two years in prison for each, Moussa said.

A US State Department spokesman told AFP that Washington was "closely tracking the situation."

"The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens," he said.

Hamdi heads the Third Republic party, which she founded in 2022, and has often criticized Saied and, at times, the country's military on social media.

Arab World

Druze Source Denies Reports of Plans for Israeli Base in Rural Sweida

Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)
Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)
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Druze Source Denies Reports of Plans for Israeli Base in Rural Sweida

Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)
Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)

A Druze source in Syria's southern Sweida province who opposes the policies of Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri has dismissed reports of plans to establish an Israeli military base in the province's southeastern countryside.

The source also denied reports that the so-called National Guard was preparing to launch a major offensive against areas under Syrian government control and neighboring Daraa province, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the claims were “media rumors with no basis on the ground.”

“The reality is different,” the source said.

“While platforms and media outlets affiliated with al-Hijri and his fighters were aggressively spreading these rumors, there were limited preparations to attack internal security positions, but the attack never materialized.”

The source said the reported plans were unlikely to move “beyond the media.”

Since early last week, media outlets affiliated with al-Hijri and the National Guard have reported preparations for a major offensive against government-held areas in rural Sweida, with some threatening to extend the assault into neighboring Daraa province.

The claims have been accompanied by reports of intensive, sustained Israeli helicopter activity over southern Syria, including Sweida, Daraa and Quneitra. Some accounts alleged that helicopters carrying military equipment for Sweida's armed groups had landed in the province's countryside.

Other reports went further, alleging that Sweida’s de facto authorities were in talks with the Israeli government to establish a military base on Tal Qulaib, a hill in the province’s southeast, and install surveillance equipment at its summit.

Amid the reports, one platforms said the National Guard leadership had issued a military circular ordering all sector commanders and field units to bar civilians from approaching or filming at designated strategic hills and locations, warning of legal and judicial action against violators.

The circular called for “strict surveillance and immediate enforcement” at Tal Maaz, Tal al-Fara, Tal Alia, Jabal al-Fina, Tal Qulaib, Tal Shaaf, Tal al-Majda, Tal Sahn and Tal Zawagh in eastern Sweida.

But the Druze military source challenged the claims, saying he was in daily contact with residents of al-Kafr, a town on the slopes of Tal Qulaib.

“Residents confirm that life in the town is entirely normal. There are no signs of a base being established,” he said.

Journalist Omar al-Hariri, a native of southern Syria, also denounced the wave of reports circulated by outlets affiliated with al-Hijri as “fake,” warning against sharing them in a post on X.

He said there was “no truth whatsoever” to claims that Israel was building a military base in Sweida.

He argued that Israel had no need for an air base in Sweida, which lies less than 100 kilometers from Israeli bases in Quneitra and the Golan Heights, putting al-Hijri’s fighters within minutes of Israeli air support.

As for reports of sustained Israeli helicopter flights over southern Syria, al-Hariri said such flights were nothing new. Helicopters had previously delivered weapons, communications equipment, logistical supplies and aid, as well as transported sick and wounded people, he said.

National Guard Turns Accusations on Damascus

National Guard spokesperson Major Talal Amer, however, accused Damascus of plotting an offensive of its own, saying the government sought to distract the public from administrative failures by drawing it into an external conflict.

“We are seeing reinforcements arriving and fortifications being built around the clock in occupied areas,” Amer told Asharq Al-Awsat in a written message.

“Meanwhile, the Damascus government is spreading rumors to divert attention and convince public opinion that it is repelling an attack,” he said.

“If the National Guard intended to launch an offensive to liberate its occupied villages, it would not announce it or leak the plans on social media.”

Amer also rejected calls by Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour for dialogue with residents to resolve the crisis.

Former chief Syrian opposition negotiator and lawyer Mohammed Sabra cast further doubt on the National Guard's ability to mount an offensive, citing the militias' limited manpower, inadequate weapons and internal divisions.

“The militias in Sweida simply do not have the capacity to launch a military attack,” Sabra said.

He said they faced severe shortages of fighters and possessed little beyond small arms, rifles and some anti-armor munitions.

Internal rifts had compounded their weakness, he added, with some groups turning into gangs involved in robbery, looting, kidnapping and the intimidation of civilians.

Their grip on Sweida, Sabra argued, rested not on military strength but on regional power dynamics and ties to Israel.

He warned that Israel could seize on any military operation aimed at ending what he called an "abnormal situation" as a pretext for deeper intervention inside Syria.

Israeli Arms Buildup and Election Uncertainty

Sabra acknowledged that Israeli military and logistical support for Sweida's militias had increased, but questioned whether the buildup signaled an impending offensive against government-controlled areas in western Sweida.

The explanation, he suggested, may lie instead in Israel's own political uncertainty ahead of pivotal parliamentary elections.

If Benjamin Netanyahu lost and another politician was tasked with forming a government, Sabra said, Netanyahu's administration would enter a caretaker period, limiting its ability to create new military or security realities that could obstruct the incoming government's agenda.

The next government's security policy toward Syria remained unknown, he added.

An inconclusive election could prove equally restrictive.

If neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition secured enough support to form a stable government, Israel could face a political crisis and another election, a process Sabra said could take three to four months.

The government's powers would also face certain restrictions during that period.

Against that backdrop, Sabra suggested that increased Israeli weapons shipments to Sweida's militias could be designed to prepare them for either outcome, ensuring they had enough arms and ammunition to last through months of political uncertainty.

He said Israeli weapons deliveries to the militias had risen markedly over the past week.

Arab World

Lebanon's Justice Minister: Hezbollah Explosives Shipment a Violation of National Security

Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)
Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)
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Lebanon's Justice Minister: Hezbollah Explosives Shipment a Violation of National Security

Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)
Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)

Lebanon's Justice Minister Adel Nassar vowed to pursue an investigation into a shipment of Hezbollah explosives to the end, saying the probe was expanding as he pressed for the case to be referred to the Judicial Council on national security grounds.

"There are no limits to the investigation," Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat, insisting that political pressure would not interfere with the judiciary's work.

Nassar said the scale of the case and the dangers posed by the explosives justified referring it to the Judicial Council, which handles cases involving state security.

He stressed that the proposed referral would proceed separately from the ongoing investigation, expressing full confidence in the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj and Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives Justice Minister Adel Nassar at the Presidential Palace last week (Lebanese Presidency)

"The investigation is continuing and expanding," he said, citing commitments by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Justice Ministry to ensure it proceeds without limits or political interference.

"This is fundamental to us," Nassar said. "We consider it a violation of national security, which falls within the Judicial Council's jurisdiction."

He insisted the proposed referral rested on legal, not political, grounds.

Nassar said he raised the issue at the previous cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail, winning support from ministers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces.

He subsequently filed a request with the cabinet's General Secretariat to place the referral on the agenda of Thursday's meeting at the presidential palace, chaired by Aoun.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairing a cabinet meeting (Lebanese Premiership)

The move would establish two parallel tracks: the ongoing judicial investigation and a separate judicial-administrative process requiring cabinet approval to transfer the case to the Judicial Council.

If approved, the military judiciary would relinquish jurisdiction and the case would automatically pass to the Judicial Council.

Nassar said the constitution governed cabinet deliberations and that the referral would not obstruct the investigation.

"We are open to discussion in the cabinet, in accordance with constitutional rules, until the government reaches its decision," he said.

Nassar warned that the shipment posed serious risks, both because of the dangers of transporting and storing large quantities of explosives and the uncertainty surrounding their intended use.

Moving such quantities threatened the areas they passed through and their destinations, he said, while storing them in a populated area endangered residents.

He also raised concerns that the explosives could be linked to a broader operation.

"There are suspicions about their intended use, whether for assassinations or bombings inside the country," he said, stressing that investigators had yet to establish their intended purpose.

A third possibility was their use in military operations, he added, citing Hezbollah's statements that the explosives were intended for fighting Israel.

Nassar said either domestic attacks or military operations could threaten national security.

"The cabinet has been clear in its decisions prohibiting military and armed activities outside the framework of the state," he said.

"Whether intended for use inside Lebanon or in military operations that could provide pretexts for Israeli wars against Lebanon, both constitute a threat to national and state security and a violation of applicable laws."

Hezbollah supporters on a motorcycle procession in the Bechara El Khoury area of Beirut on Friday evening, protesting the arrest of those involved in transporting explosives (Al-Markazia)

Figures close to Hezbollah have attacked the proposed referral, but Nassar rejected political confrontation, insisting the case must be handled on its legal merits.

Technically, he said, the investigation concerns the seizure, transportation and storage of explosives and determining their intended use — matters that provide legal grounds for referral to the Judicial Council.

He dismissed concerns that transferring the case could water down the investigation.

"The judiciary will pursue the investigation to the end in accordance with established procedures. We have complete confidence in the judges and the investigations," he said.

Political disputes, however intense, would not prevent investigators from expanding the probe or taking the steps necessary to address the dangers the explosives posed to society and security, he added.

Nassar also pledged to protect judges from political interference or pressure, regardless of its source or whether it was intended to influence their work positively or negatively.

"There is absolutely no political direction being given to the judiciary in this case or any other," he said.

Nassar defended the investigation and proposed referral despite Hezbollah's objections, including criticism voiced by its lawmakers last week after the explosives were seized.

He pointed to the government's policy statement, which identifies exclusive state control over weapons and the authority to decide on war and peace as conditions for building state institutions.

"The state is building itself," he said.

"What we are doing is a judicial process conducted in accordance with applicable laws. I do not interfere in the substance of investigations. My duty is to create the appropriate conditions for judges to pursue any case to the end."