LEBANESE ARMY RESPOND: Military Sources Reject Foreign Vetting & "Experimental Zones"

High-level military sources speaking to Lebanon's Al-Joumhouria newspaper have issued a sharp response to the provisions of the Washington-mediated agreement, clarifying the military's strict red lines regarding sovereignty, internal stability, and foreign oversight.

Key Positions of the Lebanese Army Command:

Redefining "Experimental Zones": The army strictly defines "experimental zones" as only those territories currently under Israeli occupation.

Refusal of Internal Confrontation: The military outright rejects expanding any "experimental zones" north of the Litani River, stating it will not be dragged into direct clashes with any Lebanese faction.

Weapons Mandate is Political: Addressing the issue of disarmament must be resolved politically first. The army refuses to be handed a "ball of fire" while factions calling for decisive military action offer only distant rhetoric and unfulfilled promises of structural support.

Rejection of Foreign Vetting: The military firmly rejects being subjected to external testing or monitoring in its deployment zones, calling foreign verification mechanisms "undignified."

The Real Target for Scrutiny: Sources emphasize that scrutiny should be focused on Israeli behavior, which remains untrustworthy, noting that Israel has already begun maneuvering to evade its commitments before the ink on the Washington agreement has even dried.