Washington, DC, June 3, 2024. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL) welcomes the prospect of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and hopes that this will reflect positively on the situation in southern Lebanon. We expect a truce will help save Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese lives and pave the way for the restoration of needed stability in the region.
We also look forward to a cessation of hostilities in south Lebanon and an enduring settlement that spares Lebanon from devastating conflict in the next phase and restores the Lebanese state’s sovereignty and control over national institutions.
The only path forward to durable security, peace, and self-determination comes from diplomacy. The US needs to redouble its mediated efforts to deescalate the fighting and bring calm to the Lebanon-Israel border where Hezbollah continues to attack, and which could fuel a broader regional conflict drawing in the US directly.
Efforts to stabilize this border longer-term must be as envisaged by UN Resolution 1701 and involve the demarcation of disputed border areas. Given the urgency of consolidating the authority of the Lebanese armed forces and state security institutions over Lebanon’s territory, US mediation should continue to underscore to Lebanon’s political leaders the critical importance of a nationally oriented resolution of Lebanon’s political paralysis, starting with the election of an independent and reform-minded president.
