Lebanon gets revised French proposal, report says

Lebanon has now received a revised French diplomatic proposal aimed at resolving the border conflict, according to a report by Nidaa al-Watan newspaper. Despite French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné’s recent visit to Lebanon, Speaker Nabih Berri indicated that the proposal was not presented during the visit but was expected to be delivered to Lebanese officials by Tuesday.

The proposal, which coincides with Séjourné’s scheduled visit to Israel for further discussions, suggests a three-phase implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, similar to an earlier plan proposed by U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein. This new version is an update of a proposal first delivered to Lebanon in February, aiming to de-escalate tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

In the initial February proposal, it was suggested that Hezbollah withdraw its forces by 10 kilometers from the border with Israel, a Lebanese government official noted. The backdrop of these diplomatic efforts is nearly seven months of frequent hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, partly due to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah’s ally, Hamas, in Gaza.

The ongoing violence has resulted in significant casualties and displacement. Israeli actions have resulted in over 350 deaths in Lebanon, predominantly fighters from Hezbollah and its allied groups, including over 50 civilians. Conversely, Hezbollah’s strikes have killed at least 10 Israeli civilians and 12 soldiers, with tens of thousands displaced on both sides of the border.

Western diplomats have been actively proposing solutions to cease the hostilities, generally involving the repositioning of Hezbollah forces away from the border, an increased presence of the Lebanese army, and discussions on Israeli withdrawal from areas Lebanon claims have been occupied since 2000.

While Hezbollah has shown some openness to these proposals, they have stated that any agreement in Lebanon will not proceed without a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have declared that a ceasefire in Gaza would not necessarily lead to a cessation of their operations in Lebanon, even if Hezbollah were to halt its strikes.