Netanyahu was said to push back, citing Israel\u2019s security needs.<\/p>\n
According to the report, Washington for months sought a security agreement between Israel and Syria but eventually came to the conclusion that Netanyahu was not willing to meet the necessary terms, including pulling troops out of Syria.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister\u2019s Office said last week that during the call, Netanyahu stressed \u201cthe need for security zones along Israel\u2019s borders,\u201d while the White House declined to comment on the substance of the report but highlighted Trump\u2019s \u201cstrong relationship\u201d with Netanyahu and described the US president as \u201ca fighter for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Last month, Israel agreed to withdraw its forces from two designated \u201cpilot zones\u201d in southern Lebanon as part of ongoing negotiations with Beirut to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume security control in those areas, with the aim of ensuring that it is clear of Hezbollah weapons. But two and a half weeks have passed and Israel has yet to pull out from either pilot zone, slowing talks between the sides.<\/p>\n \t A further round of US-sponsored direct talks between Israel and Lebanon was held in Rome on Tuesday, with Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter leading Jerusalem\u2019s delegation.<\/p>\n A State Department spokesperson said talks \u201cwere productive and held in a positive atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoth sides are eager to move forward. Today\u2019s conversations will continue tomorrow,\u201d the spokesperson added.<\/p>\n The sides discussed the implementation of the first batch of Israeli withdrawals from the two pilot zones in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n Talks were to pick up on Wednesday for a second and final day of this round.<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar said he expects the ongoing talks with Lebanon to help implement the pilot zones.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are ready to move forward implementing these two pilot zones. I hope and tend to believe that this round of discussions in Rome will promote it,\u201d Sa\u2019ar told journalists at a press conference in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n \t US-led diplomacy started after Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into a war by attacking Israel in support of Iran, which was facing a joint US-Israeli air campaign. Talks moved forward despite strong objections from the Iran-backed terror group, which believes only Iranian pressure on Washington can secure an end to the war and Israeli withdrawal.<\/p>\n Iran demanded an end to the war in Lebanon as part of its interim deal with Washington signed last month, but the agreement has been strained over the last week by renewed US-Iranian hostilities in the Gulf.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s \u200bmilitary is occupying what it describes as a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d about 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanon along the entire length of the Israeli border. Israeli officials say the zone is necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from attacks launched by Hezbollah.<\/p>\n A June 26 meeting in Washington resulted in an agreement calling for an end to the Lebanon conflict, the disarmament of terror groups \u2014 an apparent reference to Hezbollah \u2014 as well as the deployment of Lebanese troops to the south and the progressive withdrawal of Israeli forces.<\/p>\n But deadly clashes have continued and Hezbollah has rejected the agreement, as well as efforts to disarm it. Israel, meanwhile, has said its troops would remain in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remained armed.<\/p>\n Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked Israel across the border over the years with rockets and drones, disrupting the lives of tens of thousands of Israelis and triggering conflicts.<\/p>\n Settlers enter Lebanon<\/p>\n Also Thursday, a group of settler activists \u2014 an adult and four minors \u2014 crossed the border into Lebanon before being escorted back to Israel by the Israel Defense Forces.<\/p>\n \t According to the military, the group of girls was detected crossing the border by \u201cseveral meters\u201d near the community of Ghajar, which straddles the border.<\/p>\n \u201cImmediately after the detection, security forces launched searches in the area, and a short while later located the civilians and returned them to Israeli territory,\u201d the IDF said.<\/p>\n They were handed over to the police for further questioning.<\/p>\n The group belongs to the Uri Tzafon Movement, a Religious Zionist organization that calls for settlement in southern Lebanon, in areas it claims belong to the Jewish people.<\/p>\n On Monday, several Israeli settler activists again attempted to illegally cross the border into Syria in the southern Golan Heights.<\/p>\n The military said troops stationed in the area prevented the civilians from crossing the border and detained them. They were then handed over to the police for further questioning.<\/p>\n The activists, who call themselves the Bashan Pioneers, have attempted to enter Syria multiple times in the past year, while calling to establish settlements in the area. They have received support from coalition lawmakers.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this,<\/strong> please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community.<\/strong> Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter speaks during a signing of a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, at the US State Department on June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP\/Kevin Wolf)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260118YS13-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tForeign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, January 18, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC07208-e1783853211117-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIDF troops at Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-4-200x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
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