Other12 September, 20263 min read
Israel Postpones Rome Talks With Lebanon Until October as Joseph Aoun Rejects New Negotiations
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Next round of US-mediated talks postponed from Rome to October. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says there will be no new negotiations for now.
Haaretz was read line by line by the Watchdog: 6.1. See the score →
Rome talks pushed to October
The next round of United States-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon was postponed as Israeli forces continued to strike and demolish buildings across southern Lebanon, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirming during a visit to Nabatieh that “there will be no new negotiations with Israel at the moment.” AFP, as quoted by Al Jazeera, reported that the next round scheduled for this month in Rome would not be happening until October, and that the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors would instead meet at the Department of State next week. Al Jazeera also reported that the framework agreement announced in June would involve the Lebanese army disarming Hezbollah in so-called “pilot zones,” while Hezbollah rejected direct talks with Israel.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement pledging their forces would remain in southern Lebanon to stop Hezbollah re-establishing its presence there. Al Jazeera said Israeli forces detonated 1,100 tonnes of explosives at what they claimed was a Hezbollah central command complex built into the Ali al-Taher Ridge, causing tremors throughout surrounding areas in southern Lebanon.
Ambassadors meet in Washington
An American official confirmed to Axios’ reporter that the next round of negotiations planned between Israel and Lebanon in Rome next week has been postponed to October, while Lebanese Ambassador Nada Mehdi and Israeli Ambassador Iyahiel Litar-Siltayan would meet at the State Department in Washington next week. The official said the ambassadors would meet “to discuss current developments and to continue implementing” the framework agreement reached in June, and stressed that the agreement “remains the only applicable mechanism to restore Lebanon's sovereignty and Israel's security.” Al Jazeera reported that Aoun’s visit to Nabatieh came as Israeli attacks in the area had killed at least 29 people in the last two weeks, including 12 members of the same family in an air raid on Kfar Ramman.
Al Jazeera also said heavy explosions shook al-Mansouri and that Israeli artillery shelled the Douha area of Kfar Reman, the outskirts of Arnoun and Wadi al-Salouqi. A separate report cited by Anadolu Ajansı said the postponement resulted from preparations for the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly, Jewish holidays, and the Paris conference to support the Lebanese armed forces.
Framework at risk amid strikes
The June framework agreement described in multiple reports links any diplomatic track to security steps, including the Lebanese army’s deployment in “pilot zones” evacuated by Israel and Hezbollah’s disarmament. DW Arabic said the postponement came a day after Israel destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel network under Ali al-Taher heights in southern Lebanon, and it described the framework deal as calling for Hezbollah disarmament and the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli state from territories it occupies in southern Lebanon. DW Arabic also said the unnamed U.S. official stressed that the agreement remains the only viable mechanism to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and Israel’s security.
In parallel, Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Lebanese army recorded about 7,700 Israeli violations since the framework agreement was signed on June 26, warning that continued violations threaten the understandings and arrangements in place. AP, via the Eagle-Tribune, described residents of Mansouri watching from Hanniyeh as Israeli drones descended carrying boxes laden with explosives to be dropped on houses, after the village weeks earlier.