Lebanon-Israel Pentagon Security Track Held as Scheduled (May 29); Lebanese Delegation of 6 Officers Led by Brig. Gen. Rizkallah; First Military-to-Military Bilateral of Process; IDF Withdrawal Agenda Discussed

May 29, 2026 — The Lebanon-Israel Pentagon security track meeting took place as scheduled, marking the first military-to-military bilateral in the Lebanon-Israel direct talks process that began in April 2026. A Lebanese military delegation of six officers, headed by Brigadier General Georges Rizkallah, arrived at the Pentagon for structured military coordination discussions. The agenda covered the core unresolved issues of the process: Israeli army withdrawal from southern Lebanon and timeline; Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) takeover of the south; financial support and capacity-building for the Lebanese Army; Hezbollah south-Litani disarmament and verification mechanisms; and ceasefire enforcement measures. The meeting was the second formal interaction in the overall Washington-based process (the second high-level meeting per the US State Department release), with the 45-day ceasefire extension agreed in Round 3 (May 15-16) still in force. No final security agreement or breakthrough was announced from the May 29 meeting — it represents the launch of the security negotiating track, not its conclusion. The political track is scheduled for June 2-3 in Washington. UNIFIL has logged 10,000+ violations since the April 16 ceasefire began, and 657+ people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. The structural impasse between IDF withdrawal (Israeli priority) and Hezbollah disarmament (Lebanese government position) persists; the next critical deadline is approximately June 29 when the 45-day extension expires.