The Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reports that Hamas has agreed to surrender to Lebanese authorities the four operatives who launched rockets at Israel about a month ago.
YONI BEN-MENACHEM -- This follows a formal warning issued by the Lebanese government to Hamas, stating that it will not allow its territory to be used for actions that threaten its national security or sovereignty.
The report suggests this may mark a shift in Lebanese-Palestinian relations and potentially lead to the practical annulment of the 1969 Cairo Agreement, which allowed armed Palestinian groups to operate from Lebanon. Although the agreement was officially revoked in 1987, it remained in effect due to Syrian pressure.
The Lebanese warning came after rockets were launched from north of the Litani River toward Israeli towns, leading to the discovery of a Hamas weapons depot by the Lebanese army. In response, Lebanon's Supreme Defense Council, headed by President Joseph Aoun, convened and decided to send a clear message to Hamas: its territory cannot be used to advance the group’s independent agenda.
