Hezbollah has not received clearance from Tehran to launch attacks on Israel, and the United States has not approved a large Israeli operation in southern Lebanon, according to sources.
Hezbollah remains without approval from Iran to initiate military operations against Israel, and Washington has similarly withheld clearance for a major Israeli operation on the Ali Taher heights, sources told Al-Hadath television. The reported constraints on both sides come after a series of intensive Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the weekend, which marked the heaviest bombardment of Lebanese territory since a ceasefire took effect in June.
According to the sources, U.S. intervention was instrumental in halting Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon during the weekend period. The intervention appears to have curtailed plans for broader military action on the Ali Taher heights, an area of significant strategic concern.
The sources indicated additional complications in implementing the ceasefire framework. There are no clearly defined standards for selecting which countries will participate in verifying Hezbollah's disarmament in Lebanon, they said, suggesting ongoing disagreement over the oversight mechanism for any weapons reduction.
U.S. General Joseph Clearfield visited Lebanon recently, but his visit did not result in expanding pilot zones for verification activities, the sources added. The limited outcome of the visit suggests stalled progress on practical steps to implement disarmament provisions.
The question of whether Iran must authorise Hezbollah's military operations underscores the organisation's relationship with Tehran. Hezbollah has long maintained operational ties to the Iranian government, which provides both financial support and military guidance.
The ceasefire agreed in June created a framework requiring Hezbollah to withdraw from southern Lebanon and reducing its military presence near the Israeli border. Implementation of these provisions has proceeded unevenly, with questions persisting over verification and enforcement mechanisms.
The role of external powers in constraining escalation remains contested. The sources attributed U.S. intervention with halting further Israeli strikes, though the extent to which Washington can or does direct Israeli military decisions has been a matter of debate among analysts and officials.
The selection criteria for disarmament verification remain a sticking point in ceasefire implementation. Different parties to the agreement appear to have competing interests in which nations should oversee the process, with no consensus yet reached.
Moving forward, resolution of these outstanding issues appears necessary for the ceasefire framework to move from its current incomplete state. The need for clarity on verification mechanisms and external authorisation structures suggests that further negotiations between the parties involved will likely be required before full implementation of the agreement's disarmament provisions.
