Karam says Israel wants Lebanon to accept 'extremely difficult' conditions

Israel and the U.S. are trying to suspend a committee monitoring the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and are instead asking Lebanon to accept "extremely difficult" conditions, the head of Lebanon's delegation to the committee said.

Lebanese diplomat and lawyer Simon Karam told journalists Tuesday that the American-Israeli decision and continuous pressure to obstruct the committee's work are "pushing things toward the unknown" and that Lebanon cannot agree to the extremely difficult conditions that Israel is demanding.

Karam confirmed that there is a clear disagreement between the U.S. and France over the situation in south Lebanon, after local media previously reported that the U.S. is trying to sideline France.

"Israel is not willing to take any step on the ground and what it is instead demanding is extremely harsh. It is something that Lebanon cannot go along with," Karam said.

Karam said that in the latest Mechanism's meeting, the Israeli side refused to admit in the statement, that usually follows the meetings, the achievements of the Lebanese army after it completed the first phase of Hezbollah's disarmament south of the Litani River.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said in a statement that Lebanon's efforts to disarm Hezbollah were encouraging but "far from sufficient", after the Lebanese army announced it had completed the first phase of the process, earlier this month.