The Lebanese head of state Joseph Aoun (left) speaking with the Lebanese civilian negotiator on the ceasefire supervision committee, former ambassador Simon Karam, at the Baabda Palace, December 20, 2025. Photo X/@LBpresidency
President Joseph Aoun met Monday with Simon Karam, the former ambassador selected to be the Lebanese civilian representative of the Cease-fire Oversight Committee (known as the "Mechanism"), ahead of the body’s next scheduled meeting on Jan. 7.
"Discussions focused on the ongoing preparations for the committee meeting," the Lebanese presidency said on its X account.
This will be the third meeting of the "Mechanism" in its current format, which has included a Lebanese and an Israeli civilian representative since December, and the 16th session since the precarious and mostly one-sided cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel entered into effect in late November 2024.
At the last meeting held on Dec. 19, the civilian participants discussed "conditions that would allow residents to return home safely, ongoing reconstruction and addressing economic priorities."
The upcoming meeting will take place as the Lebanese Army is expected to complete the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, scheduled by the end of December 2025, according to the plan presented to the government on Sept. 5.
