Israel and Lebanon to Hold Next Talks in Early September
Israel and Lebanon are set to hold another round of negotiations in early September, following a previous round in Rome that did not proceed smoothly, with disagreements over the withdrawal of Israeli forces and Hezbollah's disarmament. The talks, mediated by the U.S., aim to implement a framework agreement signed in June to pause hostilities and establish pilot zones.
Consensus
- A new round of Israel-Libanese negotiations is scheduled for early September.
- The negotiations are being mediated by the United States.
- The talks are based on a framework agreement signed on June 26 in Washington.
- The framework agreement aims to pause hostilities and establish pilot zones.
- The process involves the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hezbollah in pilot zones.
- The Lebanese army is to gradually regain control over the entire country.
- The previous round of negotiations took place in Rome from August 4 to 6.
Points of divergence
- The previous round of negotiations did not go smoothly, as Lebanon insisted on additional Israeli withdrawal from the south, while Israel demanded confirmation of Hezbollah's disarmament first. — interfax
- The sides are also conducting parallel talks on identifying and returning the remains of Israeli and Lebanese citizens. — interfax
- The U.S. State Department described the previous round as productive and stated that Lebanon and Israel are much closer to reaching an agreement on expanding the pilot zones. — interfax
- The U.S. State Department representative told Al Jazeera that the process is moving positively and no party is delaying it. — kommersant
- The U.S. and Israeli sides rejected Lebanon's proposal to expand pilot zones until progress is made on the two already approved territories. — kommersant
- The U.S. State Department claimed that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage the negotiations. — kommersant
Coverage (2 sources)
- Next round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will take place in early September — Интерфакс
- Al Jazeera: Israel and Lebanon negotiations will take place in September — Коммерсантъ