Lebanon Will Attend Rome Talks Only If Israel Withdraws From Two Pilot Zones

Lebanon said it will attend the next round of direct negotiations with Israel in Rome only if Israel withdraws from two “pilot” zones in the south, according to a diplomatic source speaking to AFP.

The diplomatic source said, “Lebanon is stipulating Israel’s withdrawal from two pilot zones in order to participate in the round of negotiations,” which Italy said will take place in Rome on July 15 and 16.

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The talks follow five rounds of US-sponsored negotiations in Washington that produced a framework agreement calling for Hezbollah’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory while Lebanon’s army deploys into “pilot zones.”

The framework agreement does not set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal, and Israeli officials have vowed their forces will remain in a “security zone” 10 kilometres (six miles) deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed.

Lebanon’s contacts with the US also received guarantees that Washington would maintain “the same level of engagement in the negotiations and the same policy in managing the talks” in Rome.

Beirut’s US Ambassador Michel Issa said delegations from Lebanon, the United States, and Israel will meet in Rome on July 14 and 15 to follow up on implementation of the Lebanon-Israel framework agreement, describing the shift to Rome as for technical reasons.

Issa said the Rome meeting will be “organizational and executive in nature,” focused on forming specialized working groups to implement arrangements agreed upon in Washington.

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The Arab News reported that President Joseph Aoun met US Ambassador Michel Issa to discuss his upcoming official visit to the United States on the invitation of US President Donald Trump, and Aoun stressed reinforcing the ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

Arab News also quoted Issa saying the Rome talks would focus on “the organizational and implementation aspects of the framework agreement,” particularly the formation of specialized working groups.

Shafaq News added that a US military delegation will arrive in Beirut within days to coordinate field implementation mechanisms, particularly regarding pilot areas identified during the Washington negotiations.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his expected visit to Washington reflects “the United States' support for the path to finding a lasting solution to the series of Israeli wars and attacks on our country,” while a White House official told Reuters that Aoun was invited to the US on July 21.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem reiterated the group’s rejection of the framework agreement, saying, “Not a single clause of the agreement will pass,” in a speech at commemorations ahead of the burial Thursday of slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

The New Arab reported that Hezbollah attacked Israel in March after the killing of Iran's supreme leader by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and that the retaliation marked the end of Hezbollah’s participation in the December 2024 truce.

The New Arab also said Israel responded with a large-scale bombing campaign and a ground offensive, killing more than 4,300 people and occupying territory near the border.

In parallel, the framework agreement’s implementation is tied to pilot areas and the deployment of Lebanon’s army, while Israeli officials have said their forces will remain in a “security zone” 10 kilometres (six miles) deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed.