Shafaq News- Beirut

The Lebanese army will remain a “strong barrier” against efforts to undermine internal stability, Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal stated on Friday ahead of US-sponsored direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials.

In a message marking Lebanon’s Resistance and Liberation Day, Haykal said the military was operating under “complex conditions and major dangers” while conducting security missions, assisting displaced civilians, and protecting the country’s northern and eastern frontiers –all while Israeli attacks, destruction, and the occupation of Lebanese territory continue, particularly in the south.

He denounced what he described as campaigns aimed at weakening the military through accusations, sectarian incitement, and “false rumors,” saying such pressure would not affect its mission.

Civil peace and national unity remain Lebanon’s “strongest weapon” for protecting stability, he stressed.

The remarks came days before Pentagon-hosted meetings scheduled for May 29 between Lebanese and Israeli military representatives under US mediation, following a 45-day ceasefire extension announced after negotiations in Washington on May 14-15. Additional political discussions are expected on June 2-3.

Lebanese media reported that the delegation expected to attend the Pentagon meetings includes officers representing the country’s main sectarian communities –three Christians, one Shia, one Sunni, and one Druze. The agenda is expected to include Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, truce implementation, border arrangements, prisoner exchanges, proposals related to Hezbollah’s weapons, and broader deployment of Lebanese state forces in the south.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has repeatedly opposed direct engagement with Israel. Secretary-General Naim Qassem earlier called on the Lebanese government to pull out of the process, while Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan accused Washington of advancing a “security track” designed to serve Israeli interests.

Cross-border violence has persisted despite the ceasefire announced on April 17. Lebanon’s Health Ministry on Thursday estimated that more than 3,000 people had been killed since the escalation began on March 2.

Read more: Ceasefire without sovereignty: how Lebanon's fragmented power blocks a peace with Israel