Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to meet in Washington, Rome talks postponed
In the United States, the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon will meet at the State Department in Washington instead of a round of talks that had been planned for next week in Rome. Formal negotiations in the Italian capital have been postponed until October, Anadolu Agency reports, citing Axios and a US official.
Meeting in Washington
According to the US official, the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors will discuss developments and the further implementation of the framework agreement concluded in June. Representatives of Israel and Lebanon did not comment on the change of plans.
A source familiar with the situation explained the postponement by Jewish holidays, a conference in Paris in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and preparations for the UN General Assembly. As a result, key participants could not gather in Rome at the planned time.
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Previous rounds
Since April, Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of direct talks: five in Washington and the last two in Rome. Hezbollah has repeatedly opposed the talks and called on the Lebanese government to end them.
The sixth round ended with a preliminary agreement to identify two “pilot zones” to begin implementing Israel's withdrawal. The framework formula provides for Israel's gradual withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, starting with a model in two pilot zones, in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army.
On Wednesday, the Lebanese army said that it had recorded 7,700 violations by Israel since the framework agreement was signed on June 26. It warned that these violations threaten the current agreements and the parties' arrangements.
