BEIRUT, — Lebanon and Israel have agreed on a shortlist of countries that could provide troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah under a US-brokered agreement, according to a Lebanese official.
The United States is expected to select one or more countries from the shortlist to take part in the verification process.
The official did not disclose the names or number of countries under consideration.
US to Choose Verification Countries
The shortlist was reportedly discussed during meetings between Lebanese and Israeli representatives at the US embassy in Rome this week.
The talks focused on implementing a June 26 agreement that links the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah, with the process to be verified by a third party.
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The Lebanese official said the two sides had agreed on countries that were acceptable to both parties, leaving the United States to make the final selection.
Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament
Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has rejected calls to surrender its weapons, adding a major challenge to the proposed implementation mechanism.
Lebanon had also rejected an earlier proposal involving private security companies as third-party monitors.
According to the Lebanese official, all countries currently under consideration are state actors. Further discussions are expected to determine the size of any monitoring force and how it would coordinate with the Lebanese army.
France Reportedly Excluded
Previous Lebanese officials and foreign diplomats told Reuters that France had been vetoed by Israel and the United States as a possible participant.
There was no immediate response from Israel’s Foreign Ministry to questions about the shortlist.
A US State Department spokesperson described the latest talks as productive at the technical and expert levels but did not disclose details about the countries being considered.
Next Talks Expected in September
The Lebanese official said the next round of negotiations is expected to take place in early September.
The choice of third-party monitors will be an important step in determining how the proposed Hezbollah disarmament mechanism and Israeli troop withdrawal arrangements could be implemented.
