The US and France are proposing the deployment of private contractors in Lebanon as Israel refuses to fully pull out its troops from the country. Israel wishes to remain in south Lebanon until Feb. 28 at the very least, the Middle East Eye quotes a US diplomatic source as saying.The Israeli military wants to “supervise the safe return” to the north of Israelis who were forced to flee as a result of Hezbollah’s missile attacks.France has “offered to deploy French troops or UN peacekeepers at the sites instead,” the Middle East Eye reports. Another US diplomatic source said Washington offered to deploy multinational forces or private contractors, an offer Lebanon refused. Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji however claims that Israel has rejected both the French and US plans.n18oc_world n18oc_crux