Lebanon, Israel hold new round of direct talks in Rome

Lebanon and Israel are engaging in a fresh round of US-sponsored direct talks in Rome, with Lebanon seeking a phased Israeli withdrawal from its southern territories. The negotiations, scheduled to run until Thursday, are the seventh such US-brokered discussions since Hezbollah initiated rocket fire into Israel in March, escalating regional conflict.

At previous talks in Washington, both nations agreed on a framework. This deal includes the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in designated pilot zones. The current negotiations are a direct consequence of the ongoing conflict, which Lebanon states has resulted in over 4,300 deaths due to Israeli airstrikes and ground invasions.

However, Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, expressed strong opposition to the direct negotiations. In a televised address, he stated that the talks would only lead to "shame, humiliation, and successive compromises" for Lebanon. He also voiced criticism of the Lebanese leadership's approach to the conflict and its engagement with Syrian authorities.

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the direct negotiations would bring "nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises" for Lebanon.