American officers are in Israeli command rooms to monitor operations against Lebanon… and advanced coordination on the ground between Washington and Tel Aviv

Yemen

Yamanat

Israeli media revealed the presence of American officers in Israeli command rooms to monitor ongoing military operations against targets in Lebanon, a sign of an unprecedented level of coordination on the ground between Washington and Tel Aviv.

Israeli public broadcaster “Kan” reported that American officers are currently present at the Northern Command headquarters in the city of Safed, where they are participating in surveillance and coordination operations targeting sites suspected of being linked to Hezbollah*.

The channel adds that each Israeli operation in Lebanon is carried out after close consultations with the American side, at a time when the northern front is the scene of almost daily raids inside Lebanese territory, in exchange for a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The channel cited its military correspondent as saying that the coordination between the two sides includes a joint mechanism to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and assess developments on the ground, indicating that the Israeli army continues its operations despite the absence of any progress in disarming Hezbollah.

For their part, diplomatic sources indicated that no change was expected in Israel’s current strategy towards Lebanon, as raids and security operations continue without changes to the international monitoring mechanism.

In the same context, Israeli reports revealed that last week the Israeli army carried out a large military maneuver in the northern region, simulating a possible confrontation with Hezbollah, focusing on the element of surprise and preparation on the ground.

UNIFIL begins preparations for phased withdrawal
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced the start of preparations to gradually transfer its functions to the Lebanese army, with a view to the end of its mandate by the end of September 2026, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution.

UNIFIL spokesperson Candice Ardell said during a celebration in Naqoura to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations that the most significant challenges facing the mission are the 15% reduction in the UN budget, which will be reflected in the size of peacekeeping forces in the different areas of their deployment.

Ardell added that the mission is working on developing a plan to send some of its soldiers home in the coming months, in line with the budget reduction, stressing that the process has not yet started but is in the preparation phase.

It is noteworthy that the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel entered into force on November 27, 2024 and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon was to be completed by January 26, but Tel Aviv did not respect the date and maintained its presence at five strategic points, justifying this by “ensuring the security of the northern settlements”, while Lebanon affirms its categorical rejection of the continuation Israeli attacks and demands their immediate cessation.

Yemen