Lebanon and Israel resume Rome talks on ceasefire framework implementation

Lebanon and Israel have resumed talks in Rome aimed at implementing a United States-brokered framework deal linked to the war in Lebanon. The meetings began on Tuesday at the United States embassy in the Italian capital and are expected to last two days. Lebanese officials said Beirut is seeking progress on an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, while expectations for a rapid breakthrough remain low.

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According to Lebanese officials, the move to Rome was intended to make it easier for both delegations to consult their governments during the negotiations. The Lebanese presidency said President Joseph Aoun instructed the Lebanese delegation to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from two designated areas in southern Lebanon before any further discussions with the Israeli side. On Monday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy had offered to host the talks and described Rome as a venue that could support efforts toward a genuine ceasefire.

The discussions follow a meeting in Washington on 26 June that produced an agreement covering an end to the war in Lebanon, the disarmament of armed groups, the deployment of Lebanese troops to the south and the progressive withdrawal of Israeli forces. The framework has not yet been fully implemented, and deadly Israeli attacks have continued. Hezbollah has rejected the agreement and efforts to disarm it, while Israel has said its troops would remain in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remained armed.

The talks matter because they sit at the centre of a wider effort to reduce fighting along the Lebanon-Israel frontier and define the terms of any ceasefire. They also reflect the continuing role of the United States in trying to broker an arrangement that addresses both security concerns and territorial withdrawal. For Lebanon, the immediate issue is the presence of Israeli forces in the south, while for Israel the focus remains on Hezbollah's military capability and its stated national security concerns.

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The current negotiations come after fighting resumed between Hezbollah and Israel on 2 March amid the wider regional conflict. Since then, US-led diplomacy has continued despite strong objections from the Iran-aligned group. The row also follows a mid-June understanding between the United States and Iran that fighting would stop on all fronts, including the war in Lebanon, although Israel has continued to carry out attacks.

The talks in Rome therefore form part of a broader and still unsettled diplomatic track rather than a final settlement. What remains unclear is whether the two sides can narrow their differences on withdrawal, disarmament and deployment terms. It is also not known whether the Rome meetings will produce any immediate change on the ground in southern Lebanon.

The next developments to watch are whether the delegations report progress to their governments and whether the framework agreement moves closer to implementation or remains stalled.

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