According to Al Jazeera, the Rome talks produced an agreement to launch two pilot zones, one under Israeli control and the other bordering Israeli positions. The plan includes Israeli withdrawal, Lebanese army deployment, and third-party verification, with Lebanon pushing for an expansion timeline.
Al Jazeera reported Wednesday afternoon that the latest round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome has produced an agreement to launch two pilot zones in southern Lebanon, as part of the broader Israel-Lebanon agreement. According to the report, one zone is currently under Israeli control, while the other borders Israeli positions. The plan includes an Israeli withdrawal, deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and independent third-party verification. Lebanon is pushing for a binding timetable to expand the arrangement to the rest of southern Lebanon.
The report follows a day of diplomacy that began with the resumption of the Rome talks on Wednesday morning. Earlier, the round concluded with an Israeli source describing it as requiring further preparations before implementation (The Zioneer, 15:52 Jerusalem). The talks had been ongoing since Monday, when the sixth round opened in Rome (Jul 13, 20:35 Jerusalem). Throughout Monday evening, the desk reported that the talks focused on the two pilot zones, with a senior US official describing them as productive and indicating they would resume Wednesday (Jul 13, 20:35). The Al Jazeera report marks the first concrete claim of an agreement emerging from the process.
The pilot zones have been a central focus of the talks in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported on July 5, the IDF was expected to transfer responsibility for two areas in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Armed Forces under the agreement. On July 9, Lebanon demanded a binding timetable for Israeli withdrawal from the zones. A principled agreement on the pilot zones was reported as early as June 25, according to Al-Hadath (The Zioneer, Jun 25, 12:34 Jerusalem).
The report is based on a single Al Jazeera source and has not been independently confirmed by Israeli or Lebanese officials. The timeline for expanding the pilot zone arrangement to the rest of southern Lebanon remains unclear.
12 developments
- StrongAl-Hadath: Israel, Lebanon reach principled agreement on southern Lebanon pilot zones
- StrongUS Ambassador: Israel and Lebanon Move to Implementation Phase of Agreement; Pilot Zone Within Days
- DevelopingLebanese official expresses reservations about Rome talks, demands Israel withdraw from pilot zones first
- DevelopingN12: Pilot zone success must be approved by Israel under emerging deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake