Hezbollah rejected France’s outline for the settlement in the north

Hezbollah gave its answer in writing and rejected the French initiative: they are not ready for the Radwan force to withdraw to a distance of 10 km • According to Hezbollah, most of the Radwan force are residents of villages in the south of the country, so it is impossible to prevent them from being present there • Gallant in assessing the situation near the northern border: the mission Not completed – may be a hot summer

Ehud Yaari | N12 | May 8, 2024

Attack in South Lebanon, archive

Hezbollah rejected France’s outline that included 12 points for the settlement in the north, and through the leader of Amal in the parliament, Nasrallah’s partner, Hezbollah gave its answer in writing.

Hezbollah’s answer

• They are not ready for the Redouan force to withdraw to a distance of 10 km or beyond Litani. The claim – most of the people in Redouan are residents of the villages in southern Lebanon and it is impossible to prevent them from coming
• Reject the proposal to increase UNIFIL and give it freedom of action south of Litani
• They reject the idea of ??erecting observation towers along the border where Lebanese army personnel would sit
• Reject the proposal to establish an international committee to oversee the demarcation and mark the border line in a similar format to the committee after the Grapes of Wrath in 1996

Hizbollah’s answer, which actually rejects the French initiative, comes after it was not taken seriously on the Lebanese side and was seen as a kind of “twisting between the legs” of the Americans. The foreign minister of France and his special envoy in Lebanon did want to play a role, but they often interfered with the Americans and the envoy Amos Hochstein. In fact, Hezbollah made it clear from the beginning – if there is a settlement, the mediator will be American.

Last week it was reported about a “new proposal” received from France that included three stages during which Hezbollah would withdraw to a distance of 10 km from the border, and Israel would completely stop its attacks in Lebanon, and in fact it was reported about a proposal to prevent war. At the same time as the proposal, the IDF conducted a surprise exercise aimed at simulating A scenario of a quick transition to an attack in Lebanon. The exercise was carried out in the 282nd fire brigade that fought in the south and later went up to the northern front. The army said that the exercise included a variety of scenarios, including the rapid deployment of cannons for attack purposes, and was intended to simulate combat in various battle scenarios on the Lebanese border against the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

In the wee hours of the morning, the Galant office published a notice on the assessment of the situation that exists near the northern border. “The mission is not completed – it could be a hot summer. This defensive battle is always complex. It is a battle in which you are constantly expecting the enemy’s reactions and you act actively.”

“In order to return the residents safely, an agreement process or an operational process is needed and it is the duty of the army to prepare the operational process, which also serves as an anchor for another process,” Gallant said. “I am determined to return the residents to their homes safely and to rebuild the things that were destroyed.”