Lebanon discusses ‘de-confliction’ mechanism ahead of Israel talks

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has discussed a “deconfliction mechanism” for the country with United States Vice President JD Vance and the Qatari prime minister. The phone call on Monday focused on consolidating the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese presidency said in a statement. The hostilities between the pair have seen the Israeli military occupy parts of southern Lebanon and launch repeated air raids while Hezbollah has attacked northern Israel. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list Hezbollah’s backer Iran has made a ceasefire a key condition in its ongoing negotiations with the US, which went to war in Iran alongside Israel in February. Lebanon is due to resume peace talks with Israel in the US on Tuesday. However, Hezbollah has refused to abide by previous agreements to wind down hostilities and has criticised the Lebanese government for engaging with Israel. Qatar and Pakistan – which mediated the first round of US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland on Sunday – said the “parties agreed on the creation of a deconfliction cell” to “ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon,” but did not provide more details. Vance later told reporters that the mechanism was intended to prevent incidents from spiralling “into a broader escalation”. “We do believe … that we can get to a place where Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are protected, Israel’s security is protected,” he said. …