Israel Announces Rome Talks With Lebanon July 15-16, Italy Welcomes Dialogue

Israel announced new talks with Lebanon to be held in Rome on July 15 and 16, but a Lebanese source told The National that Lebanese officials were not notified, saying, “We don’t know anything. The Israelis are saying this but we still do not have any notice,” the source said.

“Israeli FM says next round of talks with Lebanon to be held in Rome The next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon is expected to take place in Rome, Italy next week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Tuesday”

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The National reported that Italian authorities were also caught off guard by the Israeli communication, prompting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to issue a statement welcoming the dialogue, including that “Last April, I informed the Lebanese and Israeli governments of Italy’s willingness to support the dialogue for peace in the region and to host the negotiations.”

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Naharnet said Italy’s foreign ministry welcomed the Rome talks, with Antonio Tajani stating, “We welcome with pleasure the announcement that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the U.S. will take place in Rome,” and said the talks would be at ambassador level on July 15 and 16.

The National tied the renewed diplomacy to a June 26 agreement aimed at stopping the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and said the proposal calls for empowering the Lebanese army, disarming Hezbollah, and withdrawing Israeli troops from ‘pilot zones’ in south Lebanon as initial steps.

Italy’s foreign ministry said it welcomed the Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome in mid-July, and Naharnet reported Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying, “We welcome with pleasure the announcement that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the U.S. will take place in Rome.”

In parallel, Jordan News said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'er announced that the next round of talks with Lebanon would be held in Rome next week, quoting Sa'er: “These talks are scheduled to continue next week in Rome, Italy,” during a press conference in Jerusalem with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul.

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Jordan News also described the June 26 framework agreement as stipulating that the Lebanese army will re-establish its authority in the south on the condition that Hezbollah is disarmed, starting with “pilot areas” from which the Israeli army will withdraw.

Armenpress reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said negotiations between Israel and Lebanon would resume in Rome next week, and quoted him saying, “Less than two weeks ago, Israel, Lebanon and the United States reached a historic framework agreement.”

Lebanese officials and diplomats framed the Rome move as tied to implementing “experimental zones,” with Al Jazeera’s Beirut bureau director Mazen Ibrahim saying official Lebanon believes the framework agreement is the best possible under the current circumstances and that Tel Aviv is trying to evade implementing the experimental zones.

Al Jazeera quoted a Lebanese diplomatic source saying Israel hastened to accept moving the negotiations to Italy to free itself from pressures, and the source stressed that Israel continues to flout American pressure to begin implementing the experimental zones, because it does not want to see “tens of thousands of Lebanese returning to southern Lebanon.”

The National reported that Lebanon’s cabinet was briefed on the plan in a session last Thursday, where fierce objections were raised by those opposed to it, mainly pro-Hezbollah ministers and allies, and said critics rejected it as suboptimal and murky, accepted under US pressure as Israeli troops expanded their invasion.

Anadolu Ajansı said since March 2 Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,300 people and injured over 12,000 others, and said Israeli forces continue to occupy areas in southern Lebanon while advancing more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory during the latest offensive.