The U.S. will play a significant role in guaranteeing Israel’s security along its northern border with Lebanon as part of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that could be announced as early as Tuesday and end 14 months of fighting there.
Israel’s Ynetnews reported Tuesday that a U.S.-led international enforcement committee would be set up to oversee compliance with an agreement that would see Israeli ground forces withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days of the ceasefire. Hezbollah’s forces would retreat north of the Litani River in Lebanon.
The mutual withdrawal of forces, described in the pact as a pilot phase, would assess the feasibility of the agreement. Israeli government officials would then call on residents who were displaced by the fighting to return to their homes, Ynetnews reported.
The Lebanese armed forces and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon would replace withdrawing Israeli troops south of the Litani and would oversee the dismantling of Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure in the area. The U.S., along with France and Great Britain, would support efforts to monitor and prevent weapons smuggling and production in Lebanon under the ceasefire, the news outlet said.
A separate document not included in the Lebanese agreement but endorsed by the U.S. would preserve Israel’s right to take immediate action against threats coming from the region, such as rocket and missile launches. Israel would also retain the ability to interdict arms transfers from Syria to Hezbollah, Ynetnews said.
On Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said getting both sides to agree to a ceasefire and resolution to the conflict in Lebanon has been “an incredibly frustrating process.”
“There were many times when we thought we were going to be getting to ‘yes’ in both cases, and for various reasons, the parties didn’t get there,” Mr. Miller said. “That said, we believe we are close here. But … nothing’s final until everything is final because we know we don’t have a deal until there is one that has been fully agreed to by both sides.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.