Serious behind-the-scenes developments ahead of Friday’s meeting: Tel Aviv sidelines the role of the United Nations and France in the southern file

Sources told Sky News of an anticipated Lebanese-Israeli-American military meeting on Friday, with the venue yet to be determined, as discussions continue over mechanisms for implementing security arrangements in southern Lebanon.

The sources indicated that Israel objects to the participation of France and the United Nations in any committee tasked with verifying the process of withdrawing weapons from the “pilot area” comprising six towns, demanding that the committee be limited to Israel, the United States, and a third party it has not specified, provided that party is neither French nor affiliated with the UN.

According to the information, the Lebanese and Israeli sides reached an agreement during the Rome meetings on two pilot zones. The first includes the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya and parts of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, areas that remain under Israeli control, while the second includes the towns of Froun and Ghandoorieh, with efforts underway to include the towns of Qlaouiyeh, Burj Qlaouiyeh, and Srifa within the scope of the arrangements.

This movement comes amid ongoing security negotiations over the future of deployment in southern Lebanon and the mechanisms for monitoring any steps related to weapons withdrawal, against the backdrop of a clear divergence among the parties concerned over the structure of the supervisory committee and its powers.