Israeli and Lebanese officials resumed direct talks in Rome on Tuesday aimed at implementing the ceasefire agreement signed between the two countries at the end of June, with the sides remaining divided over the timing of an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Ahead of the talks, Lebanon’s presidency announced that its delegation had been instructed to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two designated pilot zones before any further discussions take place.

Under the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is to withdraw from two pilot areas in southern Lebanon, after which the Lebanese Armed Forces would deploy to those locations. Before Tuesday’s talks, a U.S. military delegation met with senior Lebanese military officials to discuss mechanisms for implementing the withdrawal.

Israel has maintained that any withdrawal must be tied to Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, who is leading Israel’s delegation, said this week that the IDF would withdraw from the designated areas only after Hezbollah is disarmed.

“If Hezbollah is not disarmed, then we will need to stay in our security zone,” Leiter said. “We are not going to return to a situation where our citizens will be threatened by an Iranian proxy that fires missiles and builds tunnels so they can attack, as Hamas did on October 7.”

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected calls to disarm and, according to reports in Saudi media, is relying on Iran to help bring an end to the conflict with Israel while preserving its military capabilities.

Although Israel’s northern border has remained relatively quiet in recent weeks, Hezbollah is still believed to possess a substantial arsenal of weapons and has voiced opposition to the negotiations, which are intended to pave the way for its eventual disarmament.

The central question facing the negotiations is whether Lebanon will be able to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure as required under the agreement, or whether Israel will be expected to withdraw while the Iranian-backed terror organization remains armed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)