A Lebanese soldier inspects the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the Zahrani area, southern Lebanon, on Jan. 21, 2026. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
The security and military advisor to President Joseph Aoun, retired General Antoine Mansour, met Tuesday with U.S. Colonel David Leon Klingensmith, deputy head of the cease-fire oversight committee in southern Lebanon, known as the "mechanism," according to a statement from the presidency.
The meeting took place at the U.S. Embassy in Awkar and was attended by the American defense attaché in Beirut, Colonel Jason Belknap.
The participants discussed the progress of the "mechanism’s" work and the ongoing cooperation with Lebanese authorities to implement its objectives. The statement also highlighted the importance that Aoun attaches to the work of the "mechanism" for strengthening stability and security in the country.
This meeting comes at a time when the meetings of the "mechanism," which brings together Lebanese and Israeli military and civilian representatives, have been temporarily halted.
It is within this committee that talks between Israeli and Lebanese civilian officials took place last December, the first in more than 40 years between the two countries.
The meeting also comes amid ongoing fears of a large-scale Israeli offensive in Lebanon, more than a year after the cease-fire reached on Nov. 27, 2024.
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