BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 14. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with US General Joseph Clearfield, head of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L), as discussions continue over Israeli military activity and the implementation of arrangements in southern Lebanon.
The meeting focused on developments in southern Lebanon and the work of the US-led coordination group, including the identification of pilot areas and mechanisms for verifying an Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army.
Berri has maintained that the key to stability is for Israel to end its military campaign in Lebanon and withdraw to the international border. During the meeting, he raised concerns over what he described as continued Israeli violations and attacks against Lebanon and the south.
The Lebanese parliament speaker has previously accused Israel of systematic attacks since November 2024, including the destruction of villages, agricultural land and forests, as well as damage to heritage sites.
Berri called for an end to the Israeli military campaign and for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory to the internationally recognised border. His position comes as Washington attempts to advance a framework aimed at ending fighting and establishing arrangements for an Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of Lebanese forces.
Under the US-backed framework, the Lebanese army is expected to gradually restore state control in areas from which Israeli forces withdraw. The process has begun in pilot zones, with the coordination mechanism tasked with verifying the withdrawal and subsequent deployment of Lebanese troops. However, discussions have yet to produce agreement on the next area from which Israeli forces would withdraw.
Clearfield has been conducting diplomatic and military consultations between Beirut and Tel Aviv as Washington seeks to preserve the framework and move the negotiations forward. He has met with senior Lebanese officials as well as Israeli representatives in recent days.
The talks come amid continued tensions over the future of southern Lebanon, the presence of Israeli forces and the role and weapons of Hezbollah.
