Fearing a ceasefire collapse, Paris talks sought stronger ways to verify disarmament and curb escalation
\n Paris
\nFrench, Saudi Arabian and US officials held talks with the head of the Lebanese army in Paris on Thursday aimed at finalising a roadmap to establish a mechanism for the disarmament of Hezbollah, diplomats said.
\nIsrael and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group, which was significantly weakened during the conflict.
\nSince then, the two sides have traded accusations of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army\u2019s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.
\nSpeaking after the meeting, French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said the talks agreed to seriously document, with evidence, the Lebanese army\u2019s efforts to disarm Hezbollah and to strengthen the existing ceasefire mechanism.
\nCeasefire at risk
\nAmid growing fears the ceasefire could unravel, the Paris meeting sought to create more robust conditions to identify, support and verify the disarmament process and to dissuade Israel from escalation, four European and Lebanese diplomats and officials told Reuters.
\nWith legislative elections due in Lebanon in 2026, diplomats and officials said there were concerns that political paralysis and party rivalries could further fuel instability and reduce President Joseph Aoun\u2019s willingness to press ahead with disarmament.
\n\u201cThe situation is extremely precarious, full of contradictions, and it won\u2019t take much to light the powder keg,\u201d one senior official said on condition of anonymity. \u201cAoun doesn\u2019t want to make the disarming process too public because he fears it will antagonise and provoke tensions with the Shi\u2019ite community in the south.\u201d
\nGiven the Lebanese army\u2019s limited capacity to disarm Hezbollah, diplomats and officials said the plan would be to reinforce the existing ceasefire mechanism with French, U.S. and possibly other military experts, alongside U.N. peacekeeping forces.
\nThe parties also agreed to hold a conference in February aimed at reinforcing the Lebanese army, Confavreux said.
\nIsrael strikes
\nAs officials met in Paris, multiple Israeli strikes hit towns in southern Lebanon and areas of the Bekaa Valley on Thursday, Lebanon\u2019s state news agency NNA reported.
\nThe Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets across several areas, including a military compound used for training, weapons storage and artillery launches, saying the activity violated understandings between Israel and Lebanon and posed a threat to Israel. It also said it struck a Hezbollah militant in the Taybeh area of southern Lebanon.
\nCommenting on the attacks, parliament speaker and Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri said the strikes were an \u201cIsraeli message\u201d to the Paris conference, NNA reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fearing a ceasefire collapse, Paris talks sought stronger ways to verify disarmament and curb escalation Paris French, Saudi Arabian and US officials held talks with the head of the Lebanese army in Paris on Thursday aimed at finalising a roadmap to establish a mechanism for the disarmament of Hezbollah, diplomats said. Israel and Lebanon agreed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-520813","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n