News Desk
BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon continued on Monday as a 60-day deadline set under a June agreement between the US and Iran to reach a deal on ending their conflict expired. Tehran had previously said the arrangement also applied to Lebanon.
However, a Lebanese official source told Arab News that Beirut did not consider itself bound by that particular track of the peace process. “Lebanon is concerned only with what it achieved through direct negotiations with Israel under US sponsorship,” the source said. “We have nothing to do with any other negotiating process.”
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on June 19, which took effect immediately. A broader political framework followed on June 26, when the US, Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement linking a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the deployment of the Lebanese army, the disarmament of Hezbollah, the establishment of pilot zones for the process and further negotiations.
The Lebanese source said Israel had since sought to justify continued aggression against Lebanon under an “imminent threat” provision. “This is an elastic concept that Israel continues to use to justify its attacks,” the source said.
Although the political framework had failed to halt Israeli violations of the truce, it had kept the ceasefire tied to the continuation of a wider political process. The source said Lebanese complaints to Washington over Israeli strikes were frequently met with Israeli justifications, limiting the effectiveness of US pressure. “Lebanon does not have significant leverage,” the source added.
