A new round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is set to take place in Rome on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to an official Lebanese source who spoke to Agence France-Presse.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the sessions will commence at 10 AM local time (8 AM GMT).
This development follows an announcement by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week stating that these ambassador-level talks would proceed "unless something unexpected occurs", scheduled for July 15 and 16.
Sixth Round
This marks the sixth round of talks between Lebanon and Israel, two countries that do not have diplomatic relations and have been officially at war since 1948.
However, they initiated negotiations in Washington in mid-April, the first of its kind in decades.
Framework Agreement
Under the auspices of the United States, Lebanon and Israel established a framework agreement paving the way towards halting the war.
The agreement specifically calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from areas it invaded in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army beginning to deploy in two "pilot areas." However, Hezbollah strongly opposes this agreement.
Furthermore, the Lebanese presidency announced in a statement Monday, following a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, that the Lebanese delegation has received directives "to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the pilot areas before any further discussions."
It is noteworthy that an American military mission began talks in Beirut with the Lebanese army on Saturday regarding mechanisms for implementing the Israeli withdrawal from the mentioned areas.