The Zioneer reports that the next round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon, scheduled for Rome, has been postponed. Diplomatic contacts between the parties will continue in Washington instead.
The next round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon, which had been expected in Rome, has been postponed. Diplomatic contacts between the two sides will instead continue in Washington, The Zioneer reported at 08:20 Jerusalem time on Saturday. The shift comes just hours after The Zioneer reported at 02:04 that the Rome round had been delayed until October. The reason for the move to Washington was not immediately specified.
The postponement follows a sequence of reports tracked by The Zioneer. On Friday, September 11 at 09:04, The Zioneer reported that the Rome talks had been pushed back from September to October, citing a report that did not specify a reason. Earlier, on Tuesday, August 11 at 19:57, the United States announced a new round in Rome for September. The seventh round, held in Rome from August 4-6, was described by a US State Department official as 'fruitful' (August 6, 19:35). On August 5, 23:30, a Lebanese diplomatic source told Al Arabiya that the talks had been suspended, though the report was single-sourced and unverified at the time. The negotiations began under the Washington framework agreement signed in June, with initial talks extending to a fourth day in the US capital (June 26, 07:12).
The US-mediated diplomatic track has focused on implementing a pilot zone process for Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon under American supervision, as The Zioneer reported from the early Washington rounds in June. Subsequent rounds in Rome involved technical teams addressing land border disputes and expanding pilot zones. The decision to relocate the next round to Washington may reflect an effort to sustain momentum despite the Rome postponement.
It remains unclear when the Washington talks will convene or what agenda they will follow. No official confirmation from the US State Department or the parties involved has been issued at this hour.
2 developments
- DevelopingDiplomatic source: Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Rome suspended
- StrongUS announces new round of Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome in September
- StrongIsrael-Lebanon talks in Washington remain deadlocked over key wording, signing delayed
- DevelopingLebanon rejects proposal to move talks with Israel to Rome, insists on Washington venue
Source and signal
- Open-source intake