Iran War and Middle East Escalation

Amid reports that Israel is planning a massive ground invasion of Lebanon, France has drafted a detailed proposal to end the war that Lebanon’s government has accepted as a basis for talks while Israel and the U.S. review it. The framework would require Lebanon to initially recognize Israel and pledge to respect its sovereignty, and it ties that recognition to a commitment to disarm Hezbollah. It envisions a one‑month negotiation on a political declaration, a two‑month timeline for a permanent non‑aggression agreement, LAF redeployment south of the Litani as Israel withdraws, UNIFIL and a U.N.‑mandated coalition verifying disarmament and border demarcation by the end of 2026, with Israel withdrawing from five southern positions once the agreement is signed.