U.S. to Expedite Lebanon Pact Steps

A diplomatic source familiar with the Israel-Lebanon track said Washington is preparing steps to speed implementation of the June 26 framework, especially the agreed pilot areas in southern Lebanon. The source pushed back on claims that the United States is retreating from the process and said American weight will be used to turn the understandings into facts on the ground. Prior reporting and the published framework describe a performance-based path in which Lebanon's army takes responsibility only after Hezbollah is disarmed and its infrastructure removed. For Israel, that standard protects the north while testing whether Beirut can keep Iran's proxy out.