US suggests Lebanon-Israel land swap in bid to end border conflicts - Al-Jarida

American officials recently proposed, in a virtual meeting with their Israeli counterparts, a land swap between Lebanon and Israel as part of a comprehensive agreement to end the border conflicts and resolve the land dispute between the two countries, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Sunday.

The report follows Saturday night's rocket attacks, which involved about 50 launches from Lebanon toward Kiryat Shmona and Western Galilee.

According to the report, the Israeli side reiterated its main demand for a complete military withdrawal of Hezbollah to 10 km away from the border, a demand that the organization currently rejects.

On the other hand, two outstanding issues were raised in Washington's proposal for a diplomatic settlement. The first is the "Point B1" issue, the westernmost border point of the "Blue Line," overlooking the Israeli tourist site at Rosh Hanikra.

The proposal for this point involves recognizing it as part of Lebanon, with UN forces deployed there as a neutral party for both sides.

The second issue is the Kibbutz Misgav Am, which belongs to the Upper Galilee Regional Council.

A quid-pro-quo

Here, the Americans propose a land swap that would not alter the kibbutz's characteristics in exchange for twice the area currently held by Israel.

Other issues on the table, such as the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shuba Hills, and the northern part of the Rajar village, remain to be addressed later.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether the current escalation signals preparation for a new military phase or if it is simply part of ongoing efforts to target Hezbollah sites in the southern Litani region.

Additionally, the diplomatic information regarding the fate of Lebanon's southern front remains unclear, with Western and American diplomatic sources indicating the improbability of a broad war, assuring that the Biden administration is making every effort to achieve calm in Gaza and other fronts.

On the other hand, diplomatic assessments suggest that Israel aims to use the period until the November US elections to weaken Hezbollah as much as possible.