Israel-Lebanon talks resume in Rome while Hezbollah chief slams Aoun as 'biased, divisive'

Israel and Lebanon resumed talks in Rome on Tuesday, following previous rounds in Washington and Rome, with the last round on July 15 focusing on disarming Hezbollah. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem criticized the talks and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, stating the talks would bring "nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises" and that Aoun had become "biased and divisive." Concurrently, the IDF's 401st Armored Brigade concluded an eight-month mission in southern Lebanon, destroying over 1,200 Hezbollah structures, including tunnels and weapons caches, and killing more than 60 terrorists.