Lebanon and Israel held a fresh round of U.S.-sponsored talks in Rome on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking Israel’s phased withdrawal from the country’s south.
Convoys carrying delegations from the two countries arrived in the morning to the U.S. Embassy in the Italian capital, where discussions are scheduled to run until Thursday.
“The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on X.
At negotiations in Washington in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a framework deal involving the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon’s south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as “pilot zones.”
This week’s negotiations are the seventh round of Washington-mediated talks since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday the direct negotiations would bring “nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises” for Lebanon.