US says latest round of Israel-Lebanon talks ‘fruitful’

US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon concluded unexpectedly early on Wednesday as Israeli forces launched strikes in southern Lebanon. The discussions in Rome concluded at 3:30 p.m. local time, "due to events on the ground," a US State Department official told reporters. Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter reportedly requested a suspension of the negotiations around three hours before the planned end, following what he deemed as "misleading leaks" from the Lebanese delegation.

The Lebanese delegation claimed the US delegation asked for the suspension to "conduct its own consultations." All sources agreed that talks were expected to resume Thursday but noted that "significant developments on the ground" may delay the resumption of intricate technical negotiations. The US State Department official praised the talks as "extremely productive," stating that technical teams made significant strides in finalizing details for the implementation of the Trilateral Framework agreement.

This framework, signed in June by Israel, Lebanon and the United States, aims to halt hostilities between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. On Wednesday, the Israeli military ordered residents of the southern Lebanese village of Mansouri to evacuate and later claimed to have initiated "precise strikes" against Hezbollah targets in retaliation for a "complete violation of the ceasefire." Reporters Kara Fox, Dani Karni and Ibrahim Dahman contributed to this report.