Salam seeks withdrawal timeline and new UN force as Rubio tackles verification mechanism

Lebanese government sources said the World Bank expressed readiness during Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's talks in the United States to support Lebanon’s budget if an agreement is reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The sources said the World Bank also inquired about loans granted to Lebanon that have not yet been disbursed.

The IMF, meanwhile, expressed readiness to begin discussing the framework of a program with Lebanon during a special visit by an IMF delegation in November, provided that Lebanon continues its legislative reform process, according to the sources.

During talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Salam said the solution lies in implementing the framework formula by setting a timeline for the Israeli withdrawal alongside extending state authority over all Lebanese territory.

Salam also called for a robust verification mechanism to prevent the continued exchange of accusations between Lebanon and Israel, stressing that verification must be applied to both sides.

According to the sources, Rubio instructed his team to immediately begin addressing outstanding details related to the verification mechanism and the entity that would oversee it, describing the issue as central to resolving the questions of weapons and Israeli withdrawal.

The sources said Salam also called in Washington and New York for a post-UNIFIL force to be under U.N. auspices and based on a new U.N. Security Council resolution, drawing on Resolution 1701 and complementing the framework formula.

Washington, meanwhile, expressed understanding of Lebanon’s rejection of a security vacuum in southern Lebanon, the sources said, adding that the Lebanese issue remains on the agenda of Security Council members and continues to receive the attention of the U.S. administration.