Report: US proposes sponsoring Lebanese Army presence in south

Washington has proposed sponsoring the “comprehensive military structure in south Lebanon for years to come” once a solution is reached for the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel has quoted sources as saying.

“There is an American-European desire to assist the Lebanese Army financially pending the presence of a comprehensive plan,” the sources said.

The sources, however, said that Paris and Washington “are not coordinating their stances on south Lebanon” and that “Washington has informed the Lebanese that it is incapable of preventing a war.”

Border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have de-escalated in the past few days during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as international mediators push for a truce in Gaza. It is still not clear whether a Gaza ceasefire would apply to Lebanon.

Although Hezbollah has said it would abide by any Gaza truce, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said that Israel would increase its strikes on Hezbollah even if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

Since the war in Gaza erupted in October, there have been near-daily exchanges along the Lebanon-Israel border and international mediators have scrambled to prevent an all-out war in tiny Lebanon.

At least 322 people have been killed in Lebanon, mainly Hezbollah fighters but also 56 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

In Israel, at least 10 soldiers and seven civilians have been killed in the cross-border exchanges, the military says.