Israeli and Lebanese delegations began a seventh round of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome on Tuesday, with Beirut demanding Israel halt actions it says are obstructing withdrawal from southern Lebanon, The National reported. The three-day session implements a June framework tying phased Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The framework’s first phase covers three “pilot zones,” where the Lebanese army must verify disarmament before taking control from withdrawing Israeli forces. Lebanese officials say Israeli demolitions near the zones, registering up to 3.8 on the Richter scale, have complicated that handover. The Lebanese army also faces a U.S. Senate cap that limits American aid to $36 million, pending certification of progress on disarmament.
Political friction shadowed the talks. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said direct negotiations would bring only “humiliation” for Lebanon, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, without naming Hezbollah, wrote on X that “the greatest service to Israel came from those who dragged Lebanon into futile wars,” the same report said.
The dispute traces to a war that erupted in March, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel alongside Iran; Israel’s response has killed more than 4,300 people, per Euronews.
