The commander of US CENTCOM is scheduled to visit the IDF Chief of Staff to reinforce the Lebanon ceasefire arrangement, Israeli media report. The visit follows months of Israeli complaints that the Lebanese army was avoiding decisive action against Hezbollah.
The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) will visit Israel to meet with the IDF Chief of Staff to solidify the Lebanon ceasefire arrangement, Israeli media reported Thursday, amid ongoing Israeli complaints that the Lebanese army is avoiding decisive action against Hezbollah. The visit, initially reported Wednesday evening and now further detailed, comes as the US presses for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon while the security situation on the ground remains tense.
According to The Zioneer's thread, the visit was first reported at 20:35 Jerusalem time Wednesday by an Israeli source, with the purpose and agenda initially undisclosed. By that same hour, reports from ynet identified the CENTCOM commander as Admiral Brad Cooper and specified meetings with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz. Later Wednesday evening, reports from N13/Army Radio contextualized the visit as the first since the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed, occurring amid US pressure for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. The current dispatch adds that the visit aims to reinforce the ceasefire after months of Israeli frustration with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
As The Zioneer has reported, an Israeli official alleged on June 11 that LAF commander General Haykal is 'cooperating with Hezbollah,' and a senior Israeli security source characterized the situation in Lebanon as 'war, not a ceasefire' on June 20. Background context notes that Lebanese sources expressed concern on June 15 that an emerging deal would entrench Hezbollah's power, and that internal criticism in Lebanon has accused the government of risking civil war with Hezbollah by negotiating directly with Israel under US auspices.
The immediate agenda and outcomes of Admiral Cooper's meetings remain to be reported. It is not yet known whether the talks will address the security assessment that Hezbollah fears a Syrian ground intervention more than the IDF, as a senior Israeli official stated on June 17.
5 developments
- DevelopingReport: CENTCOM chief arrives in Lebanon to establish coordination mechanism with IDF
- DevelopingCENTCOM commander Cooper expected to visit Lebanon this week, report says
- StrongCENTCOM Commander holds talks in Israel and Lebanon on Washington framework; Katz says no withdrawal without Hezbollah disarmament
- StrongCENTCOM chief Cooper meets Lebanese President Aoun in Beirut
Source and signal
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