Beirut sets its terms for the Tampa talks: ceasefire first, then deployment

Lebanon's army delegation is due at the Tampa session with Israel, which a Lebanese ministerial source told Asharq Al-Awsat remains part of the political track begun in Washington and Rome, not a shift to military rule in the south.

According to that source, the agenda covers a halt to demolitions and gunfire, Israeli withdrawal, new "model areas", prisoners, and the return of residents to their villages.

The source argued that political progress depends first on an effective ceasefire, asking how the army can deploy while shooting and demolitions continue. L'Orient-Le Jour reported that the meeting hinges on direct military coordination between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

Lebanese Lobby backs the Lebanese Army as the only legitimate force in the south; its mandate comes from the state, which alone decides war and peace.