File Photo: Lebanese security forces and rescue teams inspect a charred car that was hit by an Israeli drone strike near Naqoura on the border with Israel. AFP
The committee, MTC4L, monitoring implementation of the year-long Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, includes representatives from Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and the United Nations.
"Participants offered operational updates and remained focused on deepening the military-to-military cooperation by finding ways to increase coordination," a US embassy statement said on Friday.
"All agreed a strengthened Lebanese Armed Force, the guarantors of security in the South Litani Sector, is critical to success," the statement read.
"Civilian participants, in parallel, focused on setting conditions for residents to return safely to their homes, advancing reconstruction, and addressing economic priorities. They underscored that durable political and economic progress is essential to reinforcing security gains and sustaining lasting peace," the statement added.
"Together, participants reaffirmed that progress on security and political tracks remain mutually reinforcing and essential to ensuring long-term stability and prosperity for both parties," it added, noting that the participants look forward to the next round of regularly scheduled meetings in 2026.
Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah clashed for more than a year after the outbreak of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
The Israeli bombardment campaign of the country in the fall of 2024 left thousands of Lebanese killed and wounded, and hundreds of homes destroyed.
Per the November 2024 truce deal, brokered by the US, Hezbollah has pulled its troops and military equipment from the south of the country and ceased firing rockets at Israel.
However, in breach of the truce, Israel has continued to bomb across Lebanon daily, killing more than 300 people and injuring nearly 1000, in addition to attacking UNIFIL peacekeepers in the south of the country. Israel also continues to occupy five southern areas of the country in violation of the truce agreement that mandated Israel withdraw all troops from Lebanon by January 2025. Moreover,
The US has been applying pressure on Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, which the Lebanese resistance group rejects, saying Tel Aviv has a long-term goal of gradually occupying the country.
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