US-France Warn Lebanon

The United States and France are pressing the Lebanese authorities to implement Resolution 1701, ensure that the state alone exercises force, and fully and verifiably disarm Hezbollah, while deploying the army in the south and restoring the state’s sovereignty over its territory. Paris warns that continued ambiguity could lead to a resumption of the war and an expansion of the Israeli occupation, particularly as UNIFIL’s mandate ends on December 31. It is discussing with Washington and Beirut ways to support the army and the possibility of maintaining a precautionary UN presence. Some of its functions could be taken over by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator. U.S. assessments suggest that the state’s inability to assert its sovereignty could leave Lebanon exposed to the options available to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that a decisive domestic resolution cannot be postponed.

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