De-escalation talks in the south: Lebanese-Israeli divergence over guarantees and post-ceasefire arrangements

Lebanese sources told Sky News that Beirut is still awaiting clear guarantees from the Israeli side regarding the consolidation of the ceasefire, as diplomatic contacts continue to contain the escalation.

The sources indicated that Lebanon will demand that no strikes or military operations be carried out, while stressing a return to the “mechanism” in the event of suspicion over any sites linked to Hezbollah.

By contrast, they noted that Israel is moving toward expanding what it calls the “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon to extend beyond a depth of 10 kilometers, as part of a security approach aimed at curbing the threat of drones, in their words.

The sources also reported that Washington informed the Lebanese side that it is pressing to prevent Beirut and its southern suburbs from being targeted, while Israel insists on continuing its operations in the south within what it considers security requirements.

They concluded by indicating that the ceasefire agreement between the two sides may be extended, without any clear time frame having been set so far.