WEB DESK: The United States has confirmed that Israeli and Lebanese officials will meet in Rome, Italy, from August 4 to 6 for a new round of negotiations aimed at advancing a US-brokered agreement intended to ease tensions along the two countries’ border.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had announced the upcoming talks last week, while a US State Department official later confirmed the schedule, speaking anonymously to AFP.
According to the official, technical teams will work on implementing the existing framework agreement, with discussions expected to cover Israel’s phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon, expansion of the pilot-zone arrangement, settlement of unresolved border disputes, and progress toward a broader peace and security agreement.
The framework was reached after fighting erupted between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement on March 2 amid the broader conflict in the Middle East. The agreement outlines steps to end hostilities in Lebanon, requires Hezbollah’s disarmament, provides for the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south, and calls for a gradual Israeli military withdrawal from designated pilot areas.
US officials said the experience gained from the first pilot zones would help refine the process before it is extended to additional areas in stages.
Despite the agreement, tensions remain. The Lebanese army recently accused Israel of continuing military operations in southern Lebanon, saying the strikes have hindered the full deployment of Lebanese forces under the framework. Lebanese authorities have also reported intermittent Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in the south, even as large-scale fighting has subsided.
