US-brokered Israel-Lebanon talks resume in Rome

Technical teams from Israel and Lebanon began a second round of U.S.-facilitated talks in Rome on Tuesday, with the negotiations set to run through Thursday, according to the U.S. State Department.

The talks follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s separate meetings at the White House with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the launch of the first pilot zones in Southern Lebanon.

“These discussions bring together technical teams from both governments to advance full implementation of the Trilateral Framework, including the pilot zone process, verified disarmament of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed security threats, redeployment of Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon, and laying the ground for a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on Tuesday.

“The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south,” he said.

The delegation in Rome is focusing on working groups, covering areas such as military coordination, land and maritime borders and the disarmament of Hezbollah, an Israeli diplomatic source told JNS.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Tuesday denounced the resumption of Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome, saying negotiations with Jerusalem had brought the country “nothing except shame.”

“Direct negotiations have brought Lebanon nothing except shame, humiliation, disappointment and one concession after another,” said Qassem, according to Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah.

“We are confronting a U.S.-Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, Iraq and Yemen aimed at extinguishing the flame of the resistance and colonizing the region,” the terrorist leader claimed. “The Israeli enemy’s only option is a complete withdrawal—and it will withdraw.”

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa expressed cautious optimism ahead of the talks in Rome, while noting that “a great deal of technical work remains” to ensure “civilian safety on the ground.”

“There is a meaningful difference between drafting an agreement on paper and implementing it responsibly,” Issa said of the framework agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut, adding that “moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.” He emphasized that both sides “must agree on a clear, workable process before proceeding.”

Get the latest updates in our WhatsApp group.

Test yourself on one question pulled from JNS reporting. New puzzles daily.