Upcoming round of Israel-Lebanon talks delayed from next week until October – US official
The next round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon has been pushed off until next month, a State Department official said Saturday. The next round was supposed to take place next week in Rome but now will now be held in October, the official said, adding that the two countries’ ambassadors will still meet at the State Department to discuss implementing the framework deal meant to disarm the Hezbollah terror group and phase the IDF out of southern Lebanon. Scheduling conflicts led to the delay, an Israeli official said, though the development suggested slowing momentum amid Israel’s upcoming elections and Hezbollah’s refusal to comply. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed “there are no new talks with Israel at the present time,” according to comments carried by local media from a trip he made Saturday to south Lebanon’s Nabatieh with the commander of Lebanon’s armed forces. The postponement comes after a Lebanese official told The Times of Israel this week that “indiscriminate” IDF strikes in southern Lebanon were undermining Beirut’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, while Jerusalem argued that the Lebanese Armed Forces is not yet up for the task. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Israel says its strikes target Hezbollah members and infrastructure, including weapons depots intended for attacks on Israel. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks while meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Jerusalem has generally defended the destruction in parts of southern Lebanon by arguing that Hezbollah has riddled many of the villages along Israel’s northern border with tunnels and other terror infrastructure. But comments from Defense Minister Israel Katz boasting about completely flattening dozens of villages and pledging to remain in southern Lebanon indefinitely have given additional ammunition to critics of the Lebanese government’s engagement with Israel, who claim that Jerusalem has territorial ambitions in the country. Advertisement Hezbollah again drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East conflict in March by launching rockets and drones at Israel in support of its sponsor Iran, which had come under attack by a US-Israeli air campaign. Israel responded to the Hezbollah attacks with a heavy air campaign and ground invasion. Fighting has persisted despite a ceasefire declared in Lebanon in April, but at a reduced rate. Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared “security zone,” which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border. An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amidst the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane in southern Lebanon on September 7, 2026. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT/AFP) In June, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement committing Lebanon to restoring sovereignty over its territory through the “verified disarmament of non-state armed groups,” which would in turn enable a progressive Israeli withdrawal. The State of Lebanon, along with Israel and the US, signed the agreement, but Hezbollah and its allies are opposed to it. Israel pulled forces out of three pilot zones into which the Lebanese army entered, but has said it will not carry out any further withdrawals before Hezbollah is disarmed. On Thursday, the IDF said it had demolished a “strategic” underground facility belonging to Hezbollah beneath a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon. The Ali Taher Ridge is located within Israel’s southern Lebanon buffer zone, near Nabatieh. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel systems under Ali Taher served as the “nerve center” of the terror group’s Badr regional division — a unit tasked with the area of southern Lebanon that is north of the Litani River. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. 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Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 IDF blows up Hezbollah’s ‘strategic’ complex beneath south Lebanon’s Ali Taher Ridge 2 Trump said to reject Saudi request for strikes on Houthis, as they complete Bab el-Mandeb takeover 3 Houthis seize key Red Sea islands, complete takeover of vital Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane 4 Skeptical Vance reportedly sought direct intel from US generals on state of Iran war 5 Trump reportedly warned by advisers Iran conflict could last beyond his presidency 6 Op-ed Arab warnings to Netanyahu ahead of Oct. 7 massacre shatter his core political defense 7 Israeli film about killing of Gazan civilians gets 25-minute record ovation at Venice premiere 8 Saudi Arabia shutters major oil pipeline struck by drones from Iraq read more: Israel & the Region Lebanon Israel-Lebanon relations Hezbollah 2026 Israel-Hezbollah conflict US State Department Joseph Aoun If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? 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