US establishes Lebanon ceasefire monitoring mechanism

The United States has launched a "ceasefire monitoring mechanism" in Lebanon, aiming to prevent violations by Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah from jeopardizing ongoing peace negotiations. This initiative follows a phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom) is responsible for the monitoring, tasked with gathering precise, real-time intelligence on the combat situation within Lebanon. This mechanism is seen as crucial ahead of a fifth round of peace talks scheduled to begin in Washington between Israeli and Lebanese delegations.

These negotiations are intended to build upon a memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. and Iran to end the war, which includes a cessation of all hostilities, including in Lebanon. However, neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to this broader agreement. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that Israeli troops will not withdraw from Lebanon, a condition Iran, an ally of Hezbollah, has presented as necessary for the U.S.-mediated peace talks to succeed.