Israel Refuses Further Lebanon Withdrawals Until Hezbollah Disarmament Is Verified

The seventh round of U.S.-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks ended in Rome on Thursday without agreement on expanding the pilot zones in southern Lebanon. Israel is refusing to widen its withdrawal until inspections confirm that no Hezbollah operatives or infrastructure remain in areas the IDF has already vacated, while the Lebanese delegation pressed for a new zone to be added. The sides have not agreed on which countries would sit on the verification committee, and a short list of candidates was drawn up without consensus. Negotiators also took up the file of Lebanese detainees and missing persons. A preliminary date of September 1 was set for the next round.