A British proposal to provide Lebanon with high-tech surveillance towers along its southern border with Israel has stirred widespread attention across political and security circles, reviving long-standing debates over border control and military coordination.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the offer was formally raised during UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s recent visit to Beirut. During his meetings with Lebanese officials, Lammy proposed expanding the network of observation towers that Britain previously built along Lebanon’s northern and eastern borders with Syria to the southern frontier with Israel. The new towers would be equipped with high-resolution cameras and advanced monitoring systems, aimed at strengthening the Lebanese Army’s surveillance capacity in the region.

Lebanon has not rejected the offer. However, according to sources cited in the report, Lebanese officials made clear that any discussion of such infrastructure must be preceded by Israel’s full implementation of the ceasefire agreement, a halt to ongoing violations, and a complete withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.

This is not the first time such an offer has surfaced. Similar discussions reportedly took place during previous ceasefire negotiations, including offers to equip the Lebanese Army with advanced outposts and electronic surveillance systems in southern Lebanon, particularly south of the Litani River. These plans included increasing the number of military posts and barracks in the region. However, progress was stalled by Hezbollah’s objection and technical disagreements over the use of fixed surveillance cameras.

Whether such a proposal can be revived today, and whether it would offer a practical solution to Lebanon’s border security, remains an open question.

Retired Brigadier General Naji Malaeb, a military and strategic affairs expert, told Kataeb.org that placing surveillance towers in the south would carry significant tactical importance and serve a crucial function.

“The Lebanese highlands overlook Israel’s Upper Galilee. If surveillance towers are installed at the five currently occupied positions, Israel would no longer have any justification to maintain its presence there,” he said.

Malaeb emphasized that Lebanon has long depended on Western and Arab military assistance, and the British towers would fall under such aid.

“Today, the UK is acting in Lebanon’s interest by helping end the occupation, if it ensures Israel can maintain effective surveillance over the contested hills,” he explained. "Alternatively, fixed towers could be replaced with motion sensors along the border, connected to a centralized operations room that monitors and flags any suspicious movement."

Asked whether there had been formal discussions within the Lebanese government, Malaeb said the proposal had been widely reported in the media and was likely under consideration.

“What matters now is that this offer be submitted to the committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” he said. “It should be treated as part of a broader solution and presented not only to Lebanon, but to Israel as well. In that context, the UK’s role could prove pivotal.”

Back in 2014, the UK financed and equipped the construction of 39 surveillance towers along Lebanon’s border with Syria to help curb smuggling. These included fixed and mobile towers capable of 360-degree monitoring within a 10-kilometer radius, spanning the border from the northern town of Arida to areas beyond Rashaya in the eastern Bekaa region.

Malaeb noted that those towers were linked to the Ministry of Defense and were operationally effective.

“What was missing was the political will to activate them on the ground, particularly during the period when Hezbollah fighters were crossing into Syria. At the time, the state largely turned a blind eye," he said.

As discussions unfold, the proposal for southern surveillance towers remains a test case of Lebanon’s willingness to assert greater control over its southern frontier amid growing international calls for the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and the de-escalation of tensions with Israel.