Lebanese Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal held an exceptional meeting on Saturday with Joseph Clearfield, head of the ceasefire monitoring committee known as the “mechanism,” during which he stressed the importance of continued support for the Lebanese Armed Forces at the current stage.

According to a statement, the meeting took place following a brief visit by Clearfield to Beirut Air Base. Discussions focused on Lebanon’s security situation, broader regional developments, and ways to make optimal use of the mechanism while improving its effectiveness. Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of the Lebanese Army’s role and the need to strengthen it under current conditions. Clearfield left Lebanon shortly after the meeting.

Political sources familiar with the matter, however, told Al-Markazia that the encounter should not be interpreted as a sign of renewed activity by the mechanism. Clearfield’s presence in Beirut, they said, was part of a wider regional tour and did not signal any institutional revival. 

The clarification comes amid competing political interpretations of the mechanism’s future. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has been pushing for its reactivation, seeking to position it as an alternative to US-backed direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. 

However, the Haykal-Clearfield meeting, according to the same sources, effectively reaffirmed that the mechanism will not resume meetings in Naqoura, where it had convened in previous months prior to the war. Nor, the sources added, will it serve as a substitute for Washington’s proposed negotiation framework.

The discussions between Haykal and Clearfield also aligned closely with the US approach, particularly on the issue of strengthening the Lebanese Army. Talks reportedly centered on the army’s operational needs, the importance of enhancing its capabilities, and the resumption of international support programs, especially from Washington and other key partners.

This emphasis mirrors long-standing US policy and was reflected in recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as positions expressed by Lebanese officials who argue that reinforcing the army is essential for it to assert full sovereignty over Lebanese territory and advance efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

According to the sources, Washington’s focus has now shifted away from the mechanism as a negotiation platform. Clearfield himself, they added, no longer refers to it in that context, in line with the expectations of Berri and Hezbollah. Instead, discussions are increasingly centered on broader military and institutional support for the Lebanese Army, aimed at aligning with Washington’s strategic approach and preparing the army for its evolving role in the coming phase.