{"id":938338,"date":"2026-07-16T07:17:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/938338\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:17:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:17:29","slug":"lebanon-talks-in-rome-wrap-up-without-specific-timeline-for-pledged-idf-withdrawals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/938338\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon talks in Rome wrap up without specific timeline for pledged IDF withdrawals"},"content":{"rendered":"

US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon wrapped up in Rome on Wednesday after a two-day session, without an exact timeline for when Israel will fulfill its pledge to withdraw from two small pilot zones in south Lebanon, though officials described the dialogue as \u201cpositive.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lebanon\u2019s Al Jadeed TV channel, Israeli and Lebanese officials discussed during their meeting on Wednesday how to verify that pilot zones under Lebanese army control are free of Hezbollah weapons and fighters.<\/p>\n

A third party will verify disarmament, according to the report. No final decision has been reached, though United Nations forces have been brought up as a possibility.<\/p>\n

The two sides did not discuss house searches, Lebanese officials told the outlet.<\/p>\n

Lebanon is pushing to start the implementation of the pilot project \u201cas soon as possible,\u201d within a week at the very latest, the Lebanese sources said.<\/p>\n

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The first pilot zone will include the villages Zatar El-Gharbiyeh, Zatar El-Sharqiya, Ghandouriyeh, Froun, Srifa, and Burj Qalaouiyah, which sit on both the northern and southern banks of the Litani River.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF troops are seen at Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

Israel agreed to withdraw from two pilot zones as part of the framework deal inked with Lebanon three weeks ago. Jerusalem described the withdrawals as a very minor concession, given that the pilot zones are located in areas beyond the original buffer zone that the IDF had established in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

IDF officials have said that while they are ready to implement the withdrawal, they have yet to receive a directive from the political leadership. Lebanese officials previously accused Israel of dragging its feet and threatened not to attend the talks in Rome this week.<\/p>\n

However, the US convinced Beirut to back down from the threat, pledging progress on the Israeli withdrawals.<\/p>\n

A State Department spokesperson called this round\u2019s two days of discussions \u201cproductive and positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days,\u201d the State Department spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The Israeli readout on the talks addressed the issue generally, saying: \u201c\u2060The two pilot zones in question were agreed upon. Any further implementation of pilot zones is contingent on the successful implementation of the initial pilot program.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2060\u2060The pilot zones will serve to test the successful expression of Lebanese sovereignty through the implementation of agreed-upon conditions by the Lebanese armed forces and verification by a third party,\u201d stated the readout attributed to an Israeli official. The official added that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) \u201cwere not discussed and will not be part of any verification model.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added:\u00a0\u201c\u2060\u2060With respect to private property, discussions continue for a solution which will facilitate the removal of contraband weapons while Lebanese law is respected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tHezbollah supporters sit in front of a giant billboard that shows the two late leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, center, with other Hezbollah killed commanders, as they listen to the death story of Imam Hussein during the holy day of Ashoura in Dahiyeh, Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs, Lebanon, June 26, 2026. (AP\/Hussein Malla)<\/p>\n

The Israeli official also called this week\u2019s talks \u201cpositive,\u201d saying that they \u201cfurther reinforced that Israel and Lebanon are in agreement on the need to dismantle and disarm Hezbollah and to continue in the process to implement the trilateral framework agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The State Department spokesperson said that the sides will \u201cnow move to expanded technical talks, which will focus on implementing all areas of the trilateral framework with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is slated to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The White House has in the past pushed Aoun to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also slated to be in the US next week.<\/p>\n

But Aoun has rebuffed those proposals due to the IDF\u2019s continued presence in Lebanese territory.<\/p>\n

Trump is listening to Lebanon\u2019s position in talks with Israel, Aoun told visiting Lebanese Christian lawmakers in Beirut, according to his office on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe framework formula is the best possible and has begun to yield its effects, and Washington has started to listen to us, with the Lebanese file now on the US president\u2019s table,\u201d Aoun said, according to the readout.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goals are clear, and we will not compromise on matters concerning Lebanon\u2019s rights,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\n

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\u2013 \u0627\u0647\u062f\u0627\u0641\u0646\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u0636\u062d\u0629 \u0648\u0644\u0646 \u0646\u062a\u0633\u0627\u0647\u0644 \u0641\u064a \u0645\u0627 \u062e\u0635 \u062d\u0642\u0648\u0642 \u0644\u0628\u0646\u0627\u0646.
\u2013 \u062d\u0642 \u0627\u0644\u0627\u062e\u062a\u0644\u0627\u0641 \u0645\u0634\u0631\u0648\u0639 \u0648\u0644\u064a\u0633 \u0627\u0644\u062e\u0644\u0627\u0641\u060c \u0648\u0627\u0644\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0631 \u0628\u064a\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0628\u0646\u0627\u0646\u064a\u064a\u0646 \u064a\u0643\u0648\u0646 \u062a\u062d\u062a \u0633\u0642\u0641\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/CNSkylqDkN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) July 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Trump, in an interview with Fox News, a clip of which was aired Wednesday, said he wants to see Israel withdraw or \u201credeploy\u201d forces from Lebanon as well as from a strip it is occupying in southern Syria.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSouthern Syria and from parts of Lebanon, yeah, it would be good to get out, I think, and I think you might see things get a little bit calmer,\u201d Trump said, adding, \u201cWe have to focus our energy on the big leagues. The big leagues are Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu reportedly pushed back<\/a> when Trump requested Israel withdraw from the areas in question during a phone call last week, citing Israel\u2019s security needs.<\/p>\n

Trump also once again repeated\u00a0his proposal\u00a0for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to send forces into Lebanon to \u201ctake care of\u201d Hezbollah, saying that Sharaa \u201cwould be more precise\u201d than Israel.<\/p>\n

Sharaa has said publicly that he wants Syria to stay out of the regional war and has no desire to intervene militarily in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

New strike targets Hezbollah operatives<\/p>\n

After the round of talks concluded, Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike between the towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon. Both towns are located inside Israel\u2019s south Lebanon buffer zone.<\/p>\n

The IDF confirmed carrying out a strike, saying it killed three armed Hezbollah operatives in the military\u2019s buffer zone.<\/p>\n

Soldiers of the 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit identified the Hezbollah gunman near the Lebanese town of Beit Yahoun, and a short while later, forces of the 401st Armored Brigade struck and killed the trio \u201cto remove a threat,\u201d the military said.<\/p>\n

The military published footage showing the identification of the armed operatives and the subsequent strikes.<\/p>\n

\n

\u05d1\u05de\u05e8\u05d7\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05d8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d3\u05e8\u05d5\u05dd \u05dc\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5\u05df: \u05e6\u05d4”\u05dc \u05d7\u05d9\u05e1\u05dc \u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05e9\u05d4 \u05de\u05d7\u05d1\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d7\u05d9\u05d6\u05d1\u05d0\u05dc\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d7\u05de\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05d0\u05d4\u05d5\u05df<\/p>\n

\u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d9\u05e1\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d5\u05d2\u05d3\u05ea\u05d9 869 \u05d1\u05e4\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d0\u05d5\u05d2\u05d3\u05d4 91 \u05d6\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5 \u05de\u05d5\u05e7\u05d3\u05dd \u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05e9\u05d4 \u05de\u05d7\u05d1\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d7\u05de\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05d0\u05e8\u05d2\u05d5\u05df \u05d4\u05d8\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d7\u05d9\u05d6\u05d1\u05d0\u05dc\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d1\u05de\u05e8\u05d7\u05d1 \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05d0\u05d4\u05d5\u05df, \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05da \u05d4\u05de\u05e8\u05d7\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05d8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d3\u05e8\u05d5\u05dd \u05dc\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5\u05df. <\/p>\n

\u05de\u05d9\u05d3 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d6\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d9, \u05db\u05d5\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05d7\u05d8\u05d9\u05d1\u05d4 401 \u05d7\u05d9\u05e1\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d0\u05ea\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Q78YmHWi0N<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u05e6\u05d1\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d4\u05d2\u05e0\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc (@idfonline) July 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

US-led diplomacy has emerged since Hezbollah and Israel returned to war on March 2 amid the wider regional conflict. It has moved forward despite strong objections from the Iran-backed terror group.\n<\/p>\n

Iran demanded an end to the war in Lebanon as part of its interim deal with Washington signed last month, but that agreement has been shaken over the last week by renewed US-Iranian hostilities in the Gulf.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s \u200bmilitary is holding what it describes as a \u201csecurity zone\u201d about 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanon along the entire length of the Israeli border. Israeli officials say the zone \u200cis \u2060necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from attacks launched by Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

A meeting in Washington on June 26 produced an agreement that called for an end to the Lebanon conflict, the disarmament of armed groups, as well as the deployment of Lebanese troops to the south and the progressive withdrawal of Israeli forces.<\/p>\n

But deadly Israeli strikes 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 remains in possession of its weapons.<\/p>\n

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