Zamir, Gen. Clearfield meet to promote Lebanon coordination mechanisms - exclusive

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir met with US Commander of Marine Forces Central Command Lt.-Gen. Joseph Clearfield on Wednesday to advance coordination mechanisms related to Lebanon. These mechanisms impact Israel, the Lebanese Army, and Hezbollah, aiming to facilitate the Lebanese Army's deployment to new areas in southern Lebanon. The goal is to ensure Hezbollah is removed from these areas and to permit partial withdrawals by the IDF.

Clearfield previously served as the senior official and main coordinator with Israel and Lebanon on these issues before the 2026 war. Recent meetings between Israeli and American officials underscore the urgency to move forward with the deployment process. Zamir reiterated Israel's key points to US officials, emphasizing that conflict reduction, securing areas from Hezbollah, and Israeli partial withdrawals must occur independently of Iranian influence.

“

the coordination of conflict reduction, securing areas from Hezbollah, and Israeli partial withdrawals must be done separately from any Iranian influence.

Zamir also highlighted that Hezbollah is at a historically weak point and that the Lebanese government's alignment with Israeli positions is at a high point. He stressed that this opportunity should not be squandered, preventing Hezbollah from rearming. Despite this optimism, the IDF remains skeptical about the Lebanese Army's long-term ability to contain Hezbollah, citing past experiences where the army was perceived as fearful and not aggressive enough in addressing ceasefire violations.

However, the IDF noted an improvement in the Lebanese Army's actions on Israeli complaints by April 2025. By July 2025, the IDF observed a plateau in the army's resolve. A significant challenge is that a large portion of the Lebanese Army is Shi'ite and sympathizes with Hezbollah. Furthermore, Hezbollah remains better armed and is perceived as more determined to fight than the Lebanese Army. Current IDF efforts focus on convincing American officials to address these challenges seriously to prevent past failures.

“

Hezbollah is at a historic weak point, that the closeness of the Lebanese government to Israeli positions is at a high point, and that all of this cannot be squandered in a way that would allow Hezbollah to rearm.