Israel and Lebanon Agree on Shortlist of Countries to Verify Hezbollah Disarmament

Israel and Lebanon have agreed on a shortlist of countries whose troops could verify Hezbollah's disarmament, a Lebanese official said Friday, with Washington to pick the verifiers and possibly name more than one. The list was drawn up at the latest round of direct talks at the United States embassy in Rome, the seventh such round. The official said the sides must still settle how many forces would deploy and how they would work alongside the Lebanese army. Israel and the United States had earlier vetoed France, and Beirut rejected using private security companies as verifiers. Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and refuses to surrender its arsenal.