Intensive Lebanese contacts to curb the Israeli escalation and set a date for negotiations

The intensive contacts conducted by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun with the American side contributed to curbing the Israeli military campaign that has escalated since Saturday, at a time when Lebanon is waiting for the American side to set a date for the eighth session of negotiations with Israel, which is supposed to be determined this week and held during this month.

The pace of the Israeli escalation decreased on Tuesday in the areas of southern Lebanon, after three days of air strikes and artillery shelling, which resulted in the killing of at least 28 people, the wounding of dozens, and the displacement of hundreds from the city of Nabatieh and its surrounding villages, before the wave of returns began on Tuesday morning.

In contrast to the intense raids on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, no Israeli raids were recorded inside Lebanon until Tuesday afternoon, despite the marches flying over Beirut, the suburbs, and other areas in the south. Israeli forces carried out a bombing in the town of Al-Mansouri, south of Tyre. An Israeli force also penetrated at night into the outskirts of the town of Kfar Shuba and raised the Israeli flag on one of the hills. The Israeli artillery shelling targeted Kafr Shuba, Wadi Al-Saluki and Wadi Al-Hujair, and the Israeli forces fired heavy machine guns towards the woods adjacent to the town of Qabrikha.

Intensive communications

Ministerial sources close to the Lebanese presidency said that President Aoun “conducted extensive contacts with the American side to pressure Israel to stop the military campaign it is leading,” noting in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that the American side “conducted its contacts in turn with the Israeli side.” The contacts included the US ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, and the Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamada Moawad, also made contacts with the American side, to contain the Israeli escalation in the south.

President Aoun issued a decisive position on Monday, in light of the Israeli escalation, in which he considered that “the attacks carried out by Israel in the south will not achieve security for civilians on the border, and they target the path of the (Framework Agreement) and undermine all efforts made to stop the escalation in the south and the entire region.” He said, “The question asked today is: Does Israel want peace or war? If it wants war, let it be clearly known.”

Lebanon has no means of pressure to stop the Israeli attacks, except by communicating with the American side, which is the only diplomatic channel available to pressure Tel Aviv to cease fire, and stop the escalating bulldozing and bombing operations in the villages of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon is awaiting a decisive answer from the American side before the end of this week regarding the date of the eighth negotiating session with Israel, which is supposed to be held this month in the Italian capital, Rome. Lebanon affirms its demands in the negotiations, which include a ceasefire, withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories, and the return of prisoners.

The American ambassador to the Shiite Council

The American movement towards the “Supreme Shiite Islamic Council” appeared remarkable on Tuesday. Ambassador Michel Issa visited the council and met with its vice president, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib. Although accompanying sources place the visit within the framework of “protocol visits conducted by Ambassador Issa, especially his meetings with the heads of religious sects,” in reference to his meeting with the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, and the sheikh of the mind of the Druze monotheistic sect, Sheikh Sami Abu Al-Muna, in the past two weeks, other sources stopped at the implications of the visit, especially since it came after meetings that Al-Khatib conducted in Iran and Iraq in the past two weeks.

Ambassador Issa said after his meeting with Al-Khatib that the United States “only wants the interest of the Shiite environment and the return of the south to its owners... We do not know how to reach a result with a section of the Shiite sect (referring to Hezbollah); “They do not understand that it is in their interest to understand what their responsibilities are.” He addressed the Shiite community, saying: “We only want your interests.”

Regarding the Israeli attacks, Issa said that what he understood from the Israeli side was that they would respond tenfold to any shooting directed at them.

In response to a question about the prisoners, he said: “I will not stop, and we will make every effort until the end, and this is my responsibility.”

Lebanese condemnation

The Israeli escalation sparked Lebanese condemnation. The Minister of Administrative Development, Fadi Makki, said after his visit with President Aoun: “We affirmed our condemnation of the continuing Israeli attacks on the south, and the necessity of intensifying efforts to stop them and protect Lebanon and its people. We also emphasized supporting the Lebanese Army and enhancing its presence, and the importance of everyone meeting under the roof of the state and its legitimate institutions, as they are the reference and the primary guarantor for protecting Lebanon and the Lebanese and preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Israeli raids on Lebanon resulted in the deaths of more than 4,300 people since Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel on March 2, that is, two days after the start of the American and Israeli raids on Iran, which was met with Israel launching an air and ground attack on Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health says that among the dead are more than 250 children, about 400 women, and more than 130 paramedics.

The ceasefire led to a sharp decline in violence, but Israeli forces occupying large parts of southern Lebanon continued to destroy villages in a “security zone” that Israel unilaterally declared. The Israeli army continues to launch raids inside and to the north of this area, often without issuing evacuation warnings.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria expressed its deep concern about Israeli violations in southern Syria, noting that residents in the Quneitra and Daraa regions reported their alarm at the continued activities of Israeli forces inside Syrian territory.

The committee said during a briefing before the United Nations Human Rights Council, whose 63rd regular session began in Geneva on Monday and will continue until October 7, that these activities include incursions, patrols and raids, in addition to establishing a network of temporary checkpoints and military infrastructure, which usually reflects negatively on civilians.

She added that Israeli forces interrogated and arrested hundreds of Syrian civilians, noting that some of the arrests were coercive.

The committee stressed that the continuation of these practices represents a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, describing this situation as “unacceptable” and must stop.

The head of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Yasser Al-Farhan, confirmed that the inclusion of Syria for the first time on the second item on the Council’s agenda instead of the fourth item reflects a new phase that the country has witnessed, the title of which is the break with the gross and systematic violations witnessed in the past, and the shift in policies and procedures related to human rights.

Al-Farhan explained in a speech before the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, today (Tuesday), in Geneva, that the Syrian government continues its cooperation with various international human rights mechanisms, especially the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Procedures, the Universal Periodic Review, the Commission of Inquiry, the International Mechanism, and the Foundation for Missing Persons, in a way that supports national efforts in this field.

On the other hand, the committee observed an acceleration in the pace of reconstruction, in addition to progress in the integration process within the state forces and efforts to build institutions of accountability.

She praised the renewal of her mandate, expressing her thanks to the Syrian government for enabling it to carry out its work, stressing that accountability represents an essential element for the success of the transitional justice process in Syria. The committee explained that it had intensified its cooperation with the Syrian authorities to emphasize the need to hold all perpetrators accountable on an equal footing.

It should be noted that the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria was established pursuant to United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution No. S-17/1, issued on August 23, 2011.

It was established to investigate violations of international human rights law in Syria since March of the same year, and to determine the facts and those responsible for them wherever possible.

For years, the committee conducted its investigations into Syria from outside the country, without having access to it. In its work, it relied on interviews with victims and witnesses, and analysis of documents, photographs, video clips, satellite images, and other materials.

In its report covering the second half of 2023, the committee noted its continued lack of access to Syria, which lends importance to its current praise of the Syrian government for enabling it to carry out its work.