A new deconfliction mechanism for Lebanon established as part of the negotiations between the US and Iran in Switzerland over the weekend would exclude Israel and limit Israeli military action to only responding to “imminent threats,” rather than to the broader category of “emerging threats,” according to a Monday report.

The unsourced Channel 12 report followed remarks by US Vice President JD Vance, who said that a new “deconfliction mechanism” had been established during negotiations in Burgenstock on Sunday.

He offered limited details on how it would operate, but indicated that Hezbollah would be part of the conversation between Israel, Lebanon, and “other partners in the region.”

The inclusion of Hezbollah in any talks on Lebanon’s future would go against the wishes of both Israel and the Lebanese government, which prefers to keep the terror group, and by extension its Iranian backers, out of the conversation.

Channel 12 reported on Sunday that the IDF has been urging the political leadership to ramp up negotiations with the Lebanese government to reach a deal and thereby avoid pressure from Washington to act according to Iranian demands.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun likewise alluded on Monday to his desire to keep Hezbollah and Iran on the sidelines of any deal his country makes with Israel.

“We negotiate for ourselves, and we do not accept any other party doing so for us,” Aoun said, cautioning that although Beirut welcomes “any assistance that comes from any country to end the war,” it expects those countries to avoid “interfering in our internal affairs.”

Israel out; Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar in

Vance, in his remarks, did not address the fact that a similar mechanism was created as part of the November 2024 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire brokered by the Biden administration.

According........

© The Times of Israel