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The United States has confirmed that a new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place in Rome from August 4 to 6, as Israel prepares to withdraw from two designated “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon.
A US State Department official, speaking anonymously, said the negotiations would focus on advancing the implementation of the framework agreement reached after the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
According to the official, technical teams will discuss expanding the pilot-zone process, resolving outstanding border disputes and working towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries.
“In Rome, technical groups will focus on advancing the full implementation of the framework agreement,” the official told AFP.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had announced the talks last week.
The framework agreement, brokered by the United States, was reached after fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2 during a period of heightened tensions across the Middle East.
It calls for an end to hostilities in Lebanon, the disarmament of Hezbollah, the deployment of Lebanese troops in the country’s south and the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from two pilot zones.
The US official said lessons from the initial pilot zones would be used to improve the implementation process before gradually expanding it.
“The experience of the initial zones will help us perfect pilot-zone implementation so it can expand in a phased manner,” the US official added.
The announcement comes as Lebanon’s army on Sunday accused Israel of continuing military operations in the south, arguing that the strikes were preventing the full deployment of Lebanese troops as required under the agreement.
Lebanese authorities have continued to report intermittent Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in southern Lebanon despite the relative lull in fighting.
