As direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel opened on Thursday in Washington under the auspices of the Trump administration, a few days ago Israeli ground troops were making unprecedented advances in South Lebanon where they imposed a “buffer zone” on nearly 6% of Lebanese territory: they crossed the Litani River to the north, and even crossed the “yellow line” that delimits this zone, reaching the outskirts of localities where Hezbollah is located, in the Nabatiyeh region. Presented by Israel as a “secret” operation that allowed to establish “operational control” of the zone, these incremental advances were revealed on Tuesday, while the theoretical ceasefire since March 17 with Hezbollah continues to be violated daily by both sides. How…
