The five-member ceasefire monitoring committee is adhering to Israeli demands regarding inspection operations in south Lebanon Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on Friday.
Deputy US Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus began her first visit to Lebanon yesterday with a meeting in the US Embassy with General Jasper Jeffers, head of the ceasefire supervision committee, Al-Akhbar’s Amal Khalil reported.
However, the committee’s meeting, which has been suspended for nearly two weeks, remains unscheduled. Moreover, no assurances have been provided to compel Israeli occupation forces (IOF) to withdraw by February 18 or halt their ongoing attacks.
Ortagus, who openly expresses her allegiance to the Zionist entity, and is repeatedly seen donning a Star of David necklace, agreed with Jeffers to initiate “an intensive work program” in coordination with the Lebanese Army, the report added. This initiative aims to inspect approximately 30 locations allegedly suspected of housing Hezbollah resistance facilities north of the Litani River, particularly in the Zahrani and the Bekaa region.
The committee had previously informed the Lebanese Army command that it possessed intelligence regarding buildings, warehouses, valleys, and forests allegedly used by Hezbollah to store weapons and ammunition—claims that originate from the Zionist entity, according to the report.
In this context, sources noted a significant increase in the presence of Israeli reconnaissance drones over several areas in recent days, ranging from the Bekaa to Beirut, Iqlim Al-Kharroub, Zahrani, and the South.
Despite protests from Lebanese military officers regarding the committee’s pro-Israel bias and its failure to address the expanding occupation of border towns as well as the murder and kidnapping of residents, their objections have been ignored by both the US and French embassies. Instead, this stance has seemingly emboldened Israeli threats to extend its occupation further under the pretext that the Lebanese Army is “incapable of enforcing the agreement and UN Resolution 1701,” Al-Akhbar reported.
The US on the other hand seeks to use its influence to appoint officers in the Lebanese Army and security forces who align with its interpretation of the ceasefire agreement and have no ties to Hezbollah.
The paper quoted sources as saying that Ortagus intends to pressure Lebanese authorities into approving military and security appointments favoring officers endorsed by the US and France. This move is meant to suppress the popular uprising that led to the partial liberation of several towns last Sunday (January 26), and facilitated the Lebanese Army’s deployment.
However, despite commitments from the Supervisory Committee and UNIFIL to deploy Lebanese forces in Aitaroun, Blida, Houla, and Mays Al-Jabal earlier this week, these promises have not materialized. Meanwhile, the IOF has expanded its occupation of newly reclaimed areas after being forced out by local resistance last Sunday. Israeli forces continue to carry out systematic demolitions, bulldozing homes, setting fires, and resuming airstrikes, Al-Akhbar’s Khalil added.
Watch how “Israel” destroyed, cut, uprooted, & burned our trees in South Lebanon—this is the road leading to the village of Alma Al Shaab, & the olive trees of Tayr Harfa.
pic.twitter.com/h4K7Of9DIi— د (@trhxianl) January 29, 2025
She cited sources which anticipate an escalation from ‘Israel’, bolstered by Ortagus’s support, following the military successes of Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza. The sources suggest, according to the Lebanese journalist, that these developments have led “Israel” to tighten its grip in southern Lebanon due to growing discontent among settlers in the north. In this context, sources doubt that “Israel” will adhere to the remaining 18-day deadline, warning that the five positions the Zionist entity initially declared it would retain may increase further.
Yesterday, Israeli forces launched two interceptor missiles over the Khiam, claiming to have shot down a Hezbollah drone following sirens in Ghajar and Metula. However, sources believe this may have been a staged incident designed to portray Metula’s security as fragile, justifying Israeli continued occupation of Hamames, Awida, Azzieh, Khiam plain, Adaisseh, and Kfar Kila. Additionally, occupation forces continued targeting vehicles involved in clearing rubble from border villages in search of martyrs’ bodies, using gunfire and drone-dropped bombs to impede their work, the report concluded.
Source: Al-Akhbar newspaper (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
