Deconfliction and disarmament: Can both be pursued in Lebanon?

The “deconfliction cell” announced on Monday is meant to strengthen the supposed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The mechanism is designed to provide a way for the parties to the conflict to communicate and prevent isolated incidents from spiralling into more intense violence. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list That is of particular interest to the United States – which has backed the mechanism – and mediators, because Lebanon is arguably the most likely issue to bring down the US-Iran memorandum of understanding , risking a return to all-out war in the region. Iran has repeatedly made it clear that it will not allow Israel to continue to attack Lebanon without repercussions. Israel has refused to accept any attempt to restrain its ability to conduct strikes in Lebanon , or withdraw from the territory it occupies in its northern neighbour. The US is attempting to bridge those two positions, signalling that it is not happy with Israeli attacks on Lebanon, while also insisting that the pro-Iranian Hezbollah group disarm – something that the Lebanese government is also pushing for. However, the push to disarm Hezbollah came before the US-Iran war. Supporters of the conflict in the US and Israel initially promised the overthrow of the Islamic Republic in Iran. …