US military to have 'direct role' in monitoring actions by Lebanese and Israeli armies

The U.S. military will have a direct role in monitoring actions by both the Lebanese Army and the Israeli army, with U.S. troops on the ground in both Lebanon and Israel, a U.S. official said.

“We’ll call balls and strikes, if you will,” the official told the Washington Post, using an idiom that means making objective, impartial judgments based strictly on the established rules.

This means "our political leadership can apply whatever pressure needs to be applied on either side to get them to hold up their end," the official added.

The head of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, is not taking a direct role in overseeing either side, but officials with CENTCOM would report any violations to the Trump administration, which would then engage, the official said.