Israel refuses to withdraw from more south Lebanon areas at talks

Israel has rejected calls to withdraw from more territory in southern Lebanon, insisting that the Lebanese army must first demonstrate full control over two designated "pilot zones." This stance emerged during the seventh round of negotiations held in Rome on Thursday, conducted under U.S. auspices, which aim to de-escalate the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. A Lebanese presidential source described the talks as not having produced "definitive results regarding the pilot zones," indicating a dim outlook from Beirut. However, a U.S. State Department spokesperson characterized the discussions as "productive." The framework agreement, established in June, outlines a phased disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal, and the deployment of the Lebanese army. The Lebanese army began deploying to one of the pilot zones on July 21 and has since reinforced its presence in the second zone. Lebanon's desire to expand the operation into new areas is met with Israel's demand for verification of the initial zones' implementation. The U.S. official suggested that both sides are closer to an agreement on advancing the pilot zone process, and a shortlist of countries to oversee implementation has been agreed upon. Conversely, an Israeli official stated that the plan's expansion is "not automatic" and depends on the Israeli government observing successful results, noting that it is too early to assess the pilot program, which began only about two weeks prior. Hezbollah has consistently rejected direct negotiations and refuses to surrender its weapons. Meanwhile, the Israeli army conducted strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, citing retaliation for the deaths of two soldiers in an explosion the previous day.

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Lebanon is keen to move on to new areas, whereas the Israeli side insists on verifying (the implementation in) the first two zones before proceeding to the next stage.