Exclusive JNews Lebanon
Between a Gulf night ablaze with US-Iranian missile strikes and a deceptively quiet Italian day with stormy diplomatic backrooms, Lebanon anticipates the launch of the second round of the Rome negotiations at 10:00 AM (Beirut time) inside the US Embassy.
While Washington has managed to extract a preliminary Israeli approval to withdraw from “two pilot zones” in the South, the Lebanese delegation today faces a complex Israeli “term sheet” focusing on the role of the Army and Hezbollah in those areas. This comes alongside political objections exploding in Beirut 24 hours before a heated legislative session.
The Hormuz Volcano Boils: Drones in Kuwait’s Airspace and Trump’s Tactical Retreat
Regionally, the US-Iranian confrontation has entered a real bone-crushing phase, almost completely paralyzing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz following the direct targeting of two Emirati oil tankers, prompting Washington to reimpose a strict naval blockade on Iranian ports.
In a rapidly accelerating series of events, “Jnews Lebanon” has tracked the following major regional developments:
- Gulf Alert: The Kuwaiti Armed Forces announced at dawn today that they intercepted hostile aerial targets that entered Kuwaiti airspace, urging citizens to strictly adhere to security and safety directives issued by competent authorities.
- Trump Backs Down on the “20% Protection Fee”: In a surprising post on his platform “Truth Social,” Donald Trump backed down from imposing a 20% tariff on ships crossing Hormuz, replacing it with “massive trade and investment agreements” to be signed by Gulf states with Washington in the near future.
- The UAE’s Diplomatic Olive Branch: The UAE released 55 detained Iranian fishermen in an apparent effort to de-escalate regional tensions.
Behind Closed Doors on Day One in Rome: Israel Plays for Time… and the Army Delivers its “Decisive Answers” Today
In Lebanon, contrary to the drums of the Gulf war, the Rome path took a serious negotiating track despite Israeli stalling attempts; the Israeli delegation deliberately arrived an hour late for the first session to signal “indifference” to direct American pressure.
Exclusive to “Jnews Lebanon”: A high-level security-political meeting was held last night at the Baabda Palace, with key participation from Army Commander General Rudolf Heikal alongside the President’s advisory team, to draft the official and final responses to the “tough questions” posed by the Israeli delegation in Rome regarding the mechanism of the Army’s full control and the logistical arrangements for dealing with any Hezbollah military presence in the areas to be evacuated.
Our private sources confirmed that the Lebanese responses to be put on the table today at 10:00 AM summarize as follows:
- Absolute Sovereignty: Asserting state authority in the two pilot zones is a sovereign Lebanese matter executed by the Army in coordination with UNIFIL, in accordance with international resolutions and mechanisms approved in the Framework Agreement, without accepting any external inspection or pursuit committees.
- Rejecting the “Security Treaty”: Lebanon adheres strictly to the formula of “security arrangements” to guarantee the withdrawal, rejecting attempts by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to drag Lebanon into a veiled “peace treaty,” exploiting Tel Aviv’s battlefield advantage in the 2024 and 2026 wars.
Beirut’s Political Salons: Berri Prefers the “Grapes”… and Hezbollah Fires at the “Framework Agreement”
Domestically, political tracks intersect amid great anxiety over the negotiations’ repercussions. While President Joseph Aoun anticipates his crucial visit to Washington next week to settle the file, the Lebanese interior is split between cautious optimism and public skepticism:
Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed in his latest statements that he prefers “eating the grapes rather than killing the guard” and would be very pleased to achieve withdrawal and reconstruction, but renewed his stern warning against the danger of “pilot zones,” considering they aim to entangle the Army in internal confrontations and stir local strife that only serves the Israeli enemy.
In contrast, Hezbollah continued its political escalation against the diplomatic path; MP Hussein Hajj Hassan described the “Framework Agreement” as “Israeli par excellence” and designed to serve Tel Aviv, accusing the political authority of hiding its real clauses from the Lebanese people.
The “General Amnesty” Landmine on the Parliament’s Table Tomorrow
In parallel with the southern file, Nejmeh Square is preparing tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday for a “fiery” legislative session with a heavy agenda of 44 items.
According to “Jnews Lebanon” data, the landmine of the “General Amnesty Law,” attached to the abolition of the death penalty, still provokes sharp sectarian and political polarization among parliamentary blocs, threatening to break the quorum or blow up the most sensitive items if a “last-minute compromise” is not reached in the coming hours.
