The seventh round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel continued today (Wednesday) in Rome, coinciding with a wave of strikes launched by our forces earlier against targets belonging to Hezbollah—which violated the ceasefire. After both sides agreed during the previous round to initiate the pilot phase involving the withdrawal of IDF forces and the entry of the Lebanese Army, Arab media report that Beirut will seek to expand the framework.
According to reports, both sides appeared to view the current session through contrasting lenses. Lebanese sources described the atmosphere of the talks as positive, while the American side conveyed encouraging indications regarding the progress of deliberations. However, the Israeli side does not appear to concur with assertions of a positive atmosphere.
According to a report by our correspondent Saria Harari, a source within the negotiation team stated that Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter—who serves as head of the Israeli delegation—requested that the Americans halt the talks approximately three hours prior to their scheduled conclusion, following repeated and biased leaks by the Lebanese delegation.
Although negotiations are slated to resume and continue moving forward, our correspondent Noam Amir reported that conditions on the ground within the southern “pilot” zones remain far from what was envisioned. According to the report, Hezbollah continues to exert control over substantial elements of the Lebanese Army and is booby-trapping transit routes, with the Lebanese Army already recording two significant incidents involving the group. Furthermore, Lebanese Army officers and soldiers refuse to conduct searches of the terror group’s structures, primarily due to severe concerns that those locations were pre-rigged with explosive devices awaiting their forces. This dynamic leaves Hezbollah’s operational scope virtually unhindered.