Israel refuses to withdraw from areas in Lebanon - source

In talks between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending hostilities, Israel refused to withdraw from additional areas of south Lebanon unless the Lebanese army gained full control of two initial pilot zones, a Lebanese presidential source revealed. The seventh round of negotiations took place in Rome under US auspices. The Lebanese source, speaking anonymously, noted that the talks had not produced definitive results regarding the pilot zones.

Despite a dim outlook from Beirut, a US State Department spokesperson claimed the discussions were productive. In June, Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a framework deal involving Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, and the Lebanese army's deployment to the region in the pilot zones. The Lebanese army began deploying on July 21st to one of the first two pilot zones, reinforcing its presence in the second zone.

Lebanon expressed a desire to move on to new areas, while Israel insisted on verifying the implementation of the first two zones before proceeding. The US official stated that the two sides were closer to advancing and expanding the pilot zone process. Lebanon identified a shortlist of potential countries to oversee the implementation.

An Israeli official emphasized that the expansion of the pilot zone would only occur if the Israeli government observed positive results. With the pilot zone plan being the first test of the framework agreement, Hezbollah's rejection of direct talks and refusal to surrender its weapons posed a challenge. Israel had carried out strikes in the south, citing retaliation for the deaths of two soldiers in an explosion.

Hezbollah's involvement in the Middle East war began in March when it fired rockets at Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with heavy air strikes and a ground invasion, resulting in over 4,300 casualties. Since the fighting commenced, Israel has lost 40 soldiers and one civilian contractor.