Lebanon, Israel agree shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify Hezbollah disarmament

Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement on a list of potential nations that might dispatch troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah, according to a Lebanese official. The United States is expected to select these countries from the list. The official did not disclose any specific details about the countries or the number of entries on the list.

Multiple sources, including another Lebanese official and two foreign diplomats, have previously informed Reuters that both France and Israel had blocked the selection. This shortlist was formulated during recent discussions between Lebanon and Israel at the United States embassy in Rome, marking the most recent phase of negotiations regarding the execution of a prior arrangement signed on June 26th.

This earlier agreement stipulated that Israel would gradually withdraw its troops from Lebanon contingent upon Hezbollah's disarmament, which would subsequently be verified by an external entity. It is important to note that Hezbollah, although a party to this agreement, has consistently refused to relinquish its weapons arsenal.

The Lebanese official revealed, "We have reached a short list of countries. We decided which parties were impossible for each and set the potential actors." The Americans will subsequently make the final decision and may opt for more than one nation.