Plans for a fresh round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Rome have slipped, with talks now postponed until October, according to a US official.
Just last month, the United States said the next meeting in the Italian capital was expected in early September.
Although the Rome session will no longer take place on that timetable, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are set to gather at the State Department in Washington next week “to discuss ongoing developments and the continued implementation” of a framework deal agreed in June, the official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
That agreement — known as the Trilateral Framework — lays out the disarmament of Hezbollah, a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area, beginning with test locations described as “pilot zones.”
The US official said the framework “remains the only viable mechanism to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and Israel’s security.”
The diplomatic maneuvering comes against the backdrop of a conflict that widened earlier this year. After the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, Hezbollah brought Lebanon into the fighting by firing missiles at Israel.
Violence eased for a time following an understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, which was then followed by an agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
In recent days, however, strikes have grown more intense.
The decision to delay the Rome talks was announced a day after Israel destroyed tunnels built by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon — a blast so large that the US Geological Survey recorded it as equivalent to a 4.1-magnitude earthquake.
A source familiar with the planning told AFP the postponement was driven by several factors that made it impossible for key participants to attend.
Among them, the source said, were preparations for the upcoming UN General Assembly, Jewish holidays, and a Paris conference in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
