The sixth round of direct, US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel concluded in Rome on Wednesday with an agreement on the structure and operating guidelines for a pilot zone, the US Embassy in Beirut said.
The announcement followed two days of negotiations as Israel continued military operations in southern Lebanon. The wider dispute over the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanese territory remained unresolved.
“We agreed on the structure and operational guidelines for the pilot area, which will be finalized and implemented in the coming days,” the embassy said, according to Al Modon.
The parties will now proceed to expanded technical talks focused on implementing all provisions of the trilateral framework, with the stated aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Lebanon and Israel, according to the embassy.
It described the Rome talks as “two days of fruitful and positive discussions.”
Unnamed Lebanese sources previously told Monte Carlo Doualiya that Tuesday’s session lasted more than five hours. The sources described the atmosphere as positive and said the two sides had made progress on some issues, while fundamental points of dispute remained unresolved.
Asharq Bloomberg also quoted a US State Department official as saying the discussions had been “constructive” and that both sides wanted to move forward.
The negotiations took place at the US Embassy in Rome after being moved from Washington. Lebanese sources told Reuters that the Italian capital allowed both delegations to communicate directly with their governments during the talks.
Al Jazeera reported that the latest round took place at the ambassadorial level, unlike previous rounds involving security and political delegations.
The negotiations center on mechanisms for implementing the first phase of a framework agreement signed in Washington in late June, which calls for an end to the war, a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army under US supervision.
It also includes security arrangements involving the disarmament of armed groups in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon had insisted that implementation begin with an Israeli withdrawal from two “pilot zones,” viewing the move as an entry point for carrying out the agreement’s remaining provisions. Israel, however, demanded security guarantees preventing the return of any armed presence, particularly Hezbollah, before withdrawing.
Official Lebanese sources told Al Araby Al Jadeed that the delegation had demanded a date in the “very near future” for the withdrawal to begin. They said progress remained contingent on a practical Israeli step after several weeks passed without implementation on the ground.
The identity of the two zones had formed a central point of dispute. Lebanon wanted them to lie within territory behind the “yellow line” that Israel continues to occupy, paving the way for the Lebanese army to deploy.
Israel had expressed reservations about the scope of the withdrawal and the Lebanese army’s ability to establish full security control over those areas.
As the negotiations continued, Israeli occupation forces pressed ahead with military operations in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli forces carried out extensive demolitions early Wednesday in Beit Yahoun, in the Bint Jbeil district, and bulldozed roads leading to the border town of Maroun al-Ras.
Israeli forces also carried out two further demolitions in al-Qantara and Khiam. They opened fire toward residents attempting to reach their orchards near Majdal Zoun and al-Mansouri, as Israeli drones continued to fly over Beirut and its southern suburbs.
According to Asharq, the Lebanese delegation renewed President Joseph Aoun’s demands for a complete ceasefire, the consolidation of calm in the south and pressure on Israel to halt bombardment, demolitions and bulldozing in areas it continues to occupy.
Aoun said the framework agreement was “the best that could be achieved, and its effects have begun to appear.”
He added that Washington had become “more receptive” to Lebanon’s position and that the Lebanese issue was now on U.S. President Donald Trump’s desk. Lebanon would not compromise on its rights despite the difficulties ahead, he said.
Aoun is expected to visit Washington in the coming period to meet Trump. Sources told Al Araby Al Jadeed that the visit would focus on consolidating the ceasefire and pressing the United States to push Israel to implement the framework agreement.
The Rome round came amid US efforts to separate the Lebanese track from wider regional tensions, after the interim agreement between Washington and Tehran came under pressure as military confrontations between the two countries resumed in the Gulf.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, Israel’s continuing assault on Lebanon since March has killed more than 4,000 people and displaced more than 1 million.
