An official Lebanese source told Al Jazeera that there is a U.S. effort aimed at reducing the Israeli escalation in preparation for consolidating the ceasefire and moving to the second phase of negotiations, noting that rounds of talks at the delegation level will begin next week in Washington.
The source explained that “any Iranian effort to secure a ceasefire must go through Lebanese institutions and contribute to implementing the decision to place weapons exclusively under state control,” while stressing at the same time that “ending the issue of weapons will take time and requires political, social, and economic remedies.”
The source also indicated that the Lebanese presidency informed the U.S. side that holding a meeting at the present time between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could “abort efforts toward stability,” noting that there is U.S. understanding of the Lebanese position rejecting such a meeting at the current stage.
