Developments in southern Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel open the doors to negotiations and raise controversy

The simultaneous developments in southern Lebanon opened the door to moving the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations forward, with Israel announcing the achievement of “operational control” over the Ali al-Tahir Heights and the release of Lebanese prisoners, at a time when Washington pushed to build on these developments before the next round of talks.

The US Embassy in Beirut welcomed the release of detainees, describing the step as “positive,” calling on both parties to continue building on this momentum. This coincided with President Joseph Aoun discussing with US Ambassador Michel Issa and members of Congress preparations for the next round, while Aoun stressed completing the liberation of detainees and following up on what was agreed upon in the tripartite negotiations and the “Framework Agreement.”

The American push comes while the basic issues remain pending, especially the Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah’s weapons, while the development in Ali al-Taher Hill adds a new field element to any future negotiation, despite the party’s doubts about the completeness of Israeli control over the heights, amid anticipation of how the new facts will reflect on the balances of the next round and its political conditions.

It was reported in Iraq yesterday that the families of the victims of what is known as the “October Movement” in 2019 are preparing to file lawsuits against the backdrop of statements made a few days ago by the leader of the Badr Organization, Hadi Al-Amiri, regarding the participation of armed factions in suppressing the protests that began in October of that year against the political regime, describing them as the “October Sedition.”

His words sparked a storm of criticism, while dozens of families of victims of the “movement” began completing documents proving that their children were killed or injured in confrontations with security forces during their participation in the protests. To submit it as part of lawsuits before the courts, against the backdrop of the statements of the “Badr” leader.

Hadi Al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization, did not respond to the explanations given for his words, but a Shiite politician close to the “coordination framework” told Asharq Al-Awsat that Al-Amiri’s statements “as he wanted them to be, were a defense of the factions’ position at a pivotal moment.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, commissioned the army to prepare a vision for transferring the “experimental zones” model in southern Lebanon to the Gaza Strip, which sparked controversy in Tel Aviv between those who saw a serious proposal for progress in implementing the plan of US President Donald Trump, and those who saw a new puppet for further procrastination.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the idea is to select areas outside the “yellow line” where the Israeli army is not deployed, with international forces entering to work on dismantling the armed infrastructure and establishing an alternative management system.

However, in return, Israel will maintain its ability to monitor and control these areas security-wise.

While skeptics assert that implementing the model in Gaza entails greater challenges, especially in light of the absence of an agreed-upon Palestinian body to take over civil and security administration.