Lebanon to send military delegation to US-backed trilateral talks with Israel in Tampa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced on Saturday that a Lebanese military delegation will take part in US-backed trilateral talks with Israel in Tampa, Florida, on Oct 20, where Beirut will demand an immediate end to Israeli military escalation.

The announcement came during Aoun’s meeting with a visiting French delegation headed by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency. Aoun said the delegation would present Lebanon’s demands and seek “outcomes consistent with the framework agreement,” the US-sponsored framework reached in June that was meant to pave the way for Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Aoun condemned what he described as continuing Israeli attacks on southern villages and towns, including bulldozing operations, the destruction of homes, and the blocking of farmers from their land, saying Israel had “not adhered to the provisions of the framework agreement reached under American sponsorship,” the presidency wrote on X.

He warned that continued occupation and tension in the south prevents the Lebanese Army from deploying to the international southern border under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and urged international partners to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon beyond its scheduled 2027 withdrawal to prevent a security vacuum.

Israel began its latest military offensive in southern Lebanon in early March, and strikes have continued despite the June framework agreement, Anadolu Agency reported. The announcement was also carried by TRT World, Saudi Gazette, and The Tribune via ANI.