Israel, Lebanon, US weigh who will verify Hezbollah disarmament after negotiations in Rome

Israel, Lebanon, and the United States are currently negotiating which country or group of countries will verify Hezbollah's disarmament in areas secured by the Lebanese Armed Forces. These discussions follow US-backed talks in Rome, where Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal met with Italy's Joint Operations Command commander, Lt.-Gen. Giovanni Maria Iannucci, to discuss supporting the Lebanese Army and options post-UNIFIL's mission. Initially, Israel sought to conduct the final verification itself, but this was met with strong opposition from Lebanon. Both Israel and the US oppose extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which expires at year-end, and do not want UNIFIL to handle the verification. Italy is being considered for this role, with no final decision yet made.