France has asked the United States to pressure Israel into accepting a European team to verify the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah, with Britain, Italy and Switzerland expressing readiness to join the proposed mechanism, senior European diplomatic sources told Erem News.

The French initiative aims to break the deadlock over who should oversee the verification of Hezbollah's disarmament in southern Lebanon and advance the U.S.-sponsored framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

According to the sources, Paris has recently discussed with Washington the possibility of developing its proposal in coordination with the committee overseeing the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, known as the Mechanism. The committee is chaired by U.S. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, and France wants it involved in the verification process.

The proposed European team would address Israel's demands for guarantees that areas cleared by the Lebanese army are free of Hezbollah's weapons and that the group cannot return to villages where the army has deployed and carried out disarmament operations.

European diplomatic sources familiar with the negotiations said Spain and Belgium had also expressed interest in joining the committee, provided its mandate and responsibilities were established under a formal charter as an international body.

Israel's demand for on-the-ground verification

The French proposal, previously reported by French media, seeks to overcome a major disagreement that stalled Lebanese-Israeli military talks in Tampa, Florida.

During the discussions, Beirut sought to resume implementation of the framework agreement by restarting operations in pilot areas designated for an Israeli withdrawal. Israel, however, insisted on maintaining an on-the-ground presence during the Lebanese army's disarmament operations, a demand Lebanon categorically rejected.

A French diplomat familiar with the negotiations told Erem News that Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot had presented the proposal for a supporting committee to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during discussions on developments in the Lebanon ceasefire.

The initiative is intended to generate fresh momentum for the U.S.-sponsored framework agreement while addressing Israel's security concerns, the diplomat said.

Under the French proposal, advanced scanning operations would be conducted after the Lebanese army completes its field operations to provide assurances that sites have been thoroughly cleared of Hezbollah's weapons arsenal. The process would cover designated locations in successive phases according to an agreed timetable.

Israel opposes French participation

Retired Lebanese Brig. Gen. Nader George said the Lebanese state and army had no objection to a verification mechanism involving European or Arab countries. The main obstacle, he told Erem News, was Israel's opposition to French involvement.

Tel Aviv has rejected French participation in Lebanon-related activities under the framework agreement because it considers Paris biased toward UNIFIL and committed to preserving the force's existing operational model, George said.

He argued that the framework agreement had effectively become a dead letter as Israel continued pursuing what he described as expansionist objectives. Israel remains determined not to withdraw from Lebanon until Hezbollah is defeated and fully disarmed, he added.

George said Israel does not trust any party to oversee the Lebanese army's disarmament operations in the south, including the United States, and ultimately wants to conduct the verification itself.

Nevertheless, he said, Lebanon, its government and its army would welcome an international committee to monitor and verify disarmament, regardless of the number of participating countries or the mechanism adopted.

The essential condition for Beirut, he stressed, is that Israel must not have personnel on the ground during the implementation of disarmament operations.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards hold the key, researcher says

Lebanese political researcher Rabih Yassin offered a different assessment, arguing that no initiative excluding Tehran could lead to Hezbollah's disarmament.

The decision, he told Erem News, does not rest with Hezbollah or the Lebanese state but with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Any negotiations must therefore involve the authority issuing orders to the group and its regional allies, rather than focusing solely on those carrying them out.

Yassin also questioned Washington's willingness to accept a French role in the process. He said the United States did not consider Paris an appropriate partner, arguing that France's experience within UNIFIL had been problematic and had contributed to tensions in southern Lebanon and weakened the authority of the Lebanese state.

Hezbollah expanded its spending and brought in substantial quantities of weapons while UNIFIL was deployed in the south, Yassin said, adding that the region was now paying the price.

Washington wants the Lebanese army to operate alone in southern Lebanon as a preliminary step toward establishing coordination between Beirut and Tel Aviv, he said. However, many Lebanese lawmakers oppose such coordination.

Washington rules out an international replacement force

Yassin said the United States was determined not to deploy another international force after UNIFIL's mandate expires at the end of 2026, particularly while Israeli forces remain in Lebanon.

He also argued that although the Lebanese army has the capacity to disarm Hezbollah, it is unwilling to risk a confrontation with the group by enforcing the law against it.

In his assessment, this leaves the prospect of a more dangerous outcome: Israel destroying Hezbollah's weapons arsenal itself.

Yassin said there were ultimately only two ways to resolve the weapons issue: Tehran could order Hezbollah to hand over its arsenal to the Lebanese state, or Israel could destroy it.

The Lebanese army and State would be unable to complete the task on their own, he argued, as long as Tehran continues to link the Lebanese front to its confrontation with Washington.