JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that progress toward an agreement with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah cannot be made unless the Lebanese army significantly improves its effectiveness on the ground, weeks before a new round of U.S.-mediated talks.
During a visit to troops near the Lebanese border, Zamir said that the Israeli military is "determined to rid the area south of the Litani River of Hezbollah's presence, alongside advancing the overarching objective of disarming Hezbollah."
"This objective cannot be advanced as part of a desired agreement with the Lebanese government as long as the Lebanese Armed Forces do not significantly improve their effectiveness on the ground," he said.
Zamir also said Israel's updated defense concept relied on maintaining troops "deep inside enemy territory beyond the border." Israeli forces currently occupy an area extending roughly 10 km into southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon are due to meet in Rome in October for another round of U.S.-mediated talks aimed at reaching a security agreement, according to U.S. officials. A June ceasefire framework envisaged an Israeli withdrawal alongside the disarmament of Hezbollah, but implementation has stalled as Israel continues to carry out almost daily strikes in Lebanon.
Lebanon has repeatedly demanded that Israeli forces leave its territory. ■
