Lebanon Receives Proposal for ‘Israeli Withdrawal’ in Exchange for ‘Hezbollah’s Retreat”

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Special Presidential Envoy for Lebanon, has urged Lebanon to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. This enforcement involves eliminating armed presences within a 30-kilometer zone to create a buffer area, as reported by the media on Friday.

Le Drian cautioned that if Lebanon fails to act, the resolution may be revised to empower U.N. forces with more extensive military authority. He also mentioned the possibility of the international community invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter to enforce the resolution “by force,” as stated by the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.

The newspaper highlighted that Lebanese officials are facing international pressure from various global entities, not just Le Drian, for the resolution’s implementation. This pressure is partly due to Israeli northern settlers’ reluctance to return home without security assurances, beginning with the removal of armed groups from the area south of the Litani River, as per diplomatic sources.

These sources further indicated that international pressure on Lebanon is likely to escalate over time to reorganize the border area conditions. It is becoming increasingly challenging to revert to the pre-October 7 status.

Consequently, the international community is scrutinizing the positions of Lebanese forces regarding the demarcation of the land border. This scrutiny comes in the context of Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories and the 13 disputed points, contingent on the cessation of its violations and the withdrawal of armed groups from south of the Litani River.