Optimism Grows Over Renewed US-French Cooperation on Lebanon
Nidaa al-Watan learned that Baabda’s diplomatic contacts focused on the outcome of US-French consultations on upcoming security arrangements.
Lebanese optimism is growing over a resumption of coordination between the two countries on Lebanon, following a period of strained relations, given their influence on the course of developments in the country.
Alongside discussions on new security arrangements, Washington reiterated that Lebanon’s crisis is not limited to the void that may result from UNIFIL’s withdrawal, but also involves the continued presence of weapons outside state authority.
In this regard, a US State Department spokesperson told Al-Nidaa al-Watan that statements misdiagnosing Lebanon’s problems do not help restore its sovereignty, either now or in the future.
The spokesperson stressed that the country still faces two choices: either live under the influence of an Iranian proxy, or take the steps it has already agreed to in order to reclaim control of its future.
The spokesperson added that Lebanon’s political, economic and security problems all share one common factor: the continued presence of an Iran-backed terrorist militia that uses Lebanese territory to attack Israel, threatens and kills Lebanese public figures, and prevents the Lebanese army from monopolizing the use of force.
The spokesperson held Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, responsible for creating the conditions that led to Israeli military operations, saying that both had, by their own admission, triggered the last two wars.
