Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has received assurances from the United States that the American administration will not give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a green light to expand the security zone in southern Lebanon, the pro-Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported, citing a Lebanese political source directly involved in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
1+According to the report, Aoun is maintaining contacts with senior American officials to pressure Netanyahu and prevent him from expanding the security zone. The source said Lebanon fears the prime minister may exploit such a move as political leverage ahead of Knesset elections in an attempt to strengthen his chances of winning. The source added that the American assurances were given on condition that Hezbollah refrain from actions that would provide Israel with a pretext to expand its military operations toward the ridges between the Tuffah area and Jebel al-Rihan in southern Lebanon.
1+Meanwhile, according to the source, the terror organization Hezbollah conveyed a message to the Lebanese president through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, stating that the organization remains committed to the ceasefire and is refraining “from responding to Israeli attacks.”