Lebanon and Israel hold new round of direct talks in Rome

Lebanon and Israel have begun a new round of direct talks in Rome, facilitated by the US. The discussions, which started on Tuesday and are set to continue until Thursday, are taking place at the US embassy in the Italian capital.

The talks aim to advance the implementation of the Trilateral Framework, which includes the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed security threats, as well as the redeployment of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. According to the US State Department, the goal is to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive peace and security agreement.

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal met with the commander of Italy's Joint Operations Command, Lieutenant-General Giovanni Maria Iannucci, on Tuesday. They discussed the overall situation, recent developments, and ways to support the Lebanese Army. The Jerusalem Post reports that one of the topics being discussed is which country or countries will verify that areas entered by the Lebanese Armed Forces are free of Hezbollah operatives and weapons. Italy is being considered as a potential candidate for this role.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Jerusalem Post, Middle East Eye — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.