Lebanon and Israel held a seventh round of US-sponsored direct negotiations in Rome on Tuesday, with delegations arriving at the American embassy for talks scheduled to run through Thursday. The discussions, mediated by Washington, are focused on expanding the so-called "pilot zone" process, resolving outstanding border disputes, and working towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement — all while sharp political divisions within Lebanon over the talks themselves intensified.
The negotiations were split into two parallel tracks: a political session addressing border demarcation, in which the Lebanese side presented its proposals, and a military session focused on verification mechanisms for implementing security arrangements, including Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah. Lebanese sources said Beirut had not received answers from the Israeli political leadership regarding its commitment to the ceasefire, and that pilot zone locations had not yet been formally discussed. Significantly, Lebanese sources noted what they described as an Israeli retreat — for the first time — from insisting that Hezbollah disarmament be addressed before border talks could proceed. Lebanon also formally requested that the next pilot zone be established in either Khiam or Bint Jbeil, two towns in the south still under Israeli control.
The Rome talks build on a framework agreement signed in Washington on 26 June 2026, following five earlier rounds of negotiations. That deal calls for the gradual disarmament of Hezbollah, the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory they continue to occupy, and the deployment of the Lebanese army beginning in designated pilot zones. After the previous Rome round, Israel withdrew from the outskirts of Zawtar al-Gharbiya — one of the first pilot areas — and the Lebanese army has since deployed there, allowing residents to begin inspecting their homes. Lebanon has also pressed Israel to halt the widespread demolitions and detonations it continues to carry out in southern villages.
The talks were overshadowed by a public confrontation between Hezbollah's secretary-general, Naim Qassem, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Speaking in Baalbek at a religious commemoration, Qassem declared that the direct negotiations would bring Lebanon "nothing but shame, humiliation, disappointment and successive concessions," and accused President Joseph Aoun of becoming "biased and divisive" rather than serving as a unifying arbiter. He also charged that the Lebanese government had "helped Israel instead of helping Lebanon's sovereignty." Salam responded sharply on social media, saying that "the greatest help to Israel was provided by those who unilaterally drew Lebanon into futile wars" — a reference to Hezbollah's decision to fire rockets at Israel in March in support of Iran — and that those who sought to control the state's decision-making while tying Lebanon to "foreign calculations" were not qualified to lecture on patriotism or sovereignty.
The broader context is one of fragile, uneven progress. Lebanon says Israeli strikes, shelling, and demolitions in the south have continued despite the ceasefire framework, with more than 4,300 people killed and over a million displaced since fighting began in March. The US State Department reaffirmed its commitment to the process, with spokesman Tommy Pigott saying Washington aimed to deliver "lasting security for both countries, eliminate security threats to Israel, and restore Lebanese state authority throughout the south." Experts remain cautious: the Lebanese army's capacity to enforce Hezbollah disarmament — which the group flatly rejects — and Israel's willingness to withdraw from areas it fully controls will both face serious tests in the weeks ahead.