Israel and Lebanon Make Progress on Troop Withdrawal Agreement at Rome Talks

[Financial News] Israel and Lebanon have made progress in implementing a "pilot zone" plan at U.S.-mediated talks in Rome, centered on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and the transfer of authority to the Lebanese government forces.
On the 15th local time, Arab News reported that the State Department issued a statement after the two-day talks in Rome on the 14th and 15th, saying, "The talks were productive, and both sides agreed on the structure and guidelines of the pilot zone process, which will be finalized and implemented within days." However, the Israeli and Lebanese governments did not immediately issue any official response to the outcome.
Earlier, on June 26, the two countries announced a "framework agreement" that would exchange the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon for the disarmament of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. The agreement is a phased step toward a final peace deal between the two countries, which have technically remained at war for about 80 years since Israel's founding in 1948.
The plan called for designating two areas in southern Lebanon as "pilot zones," where Israeli forces would pull back and Lebanese government troops would take over security and begin clearing Hezbollah elements from the areas. But implementation on the ground had stalled.
The statement did not specify the exact locations of the pilot zones, but remarks by officials from both countries indicate that villages including Prun, Ganduriye, and Jawatar were part of the plan. However, since many of those areas were not originally occupied by Israeli forces, debate has emerged within Lebanon over the effectiveness of the withdrawal. The Lebanese government has argued that larger areas, including those actually occupied by Israeli forces, should be included in the pilot zones.
Ahead of his scheduled visit to Washington, D.C. on the 21st, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement before the talks that he had instructed his delegation to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two pilot zones before any further discussions.
The State Department added, "Once implementation of the pilot zones is complete, we will move to expanded technical talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon."
After the United States and Israel launched military action against Iran on February 28, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon, fired rockets toward Israel, and Israel responded by invading Lebanon and occupying a wide area in the south.
Hezbollah and Iran are now trying to link an end to the Lebanon war to the outcome of broader U.S.-Iran talks. In contrast, the Lebanese government says it wants to block that two-track approach and negotiate a direct ceasefire with Israel to minimize Iran's influence.
Hezbollah has strongly opposed the Rome bilateral talks, declaring that it "will not abide by any agreement and has no plan to disarm." Israeli officials have also hinted publicly at a long-term occupation plan in southern Lebanon, raising expectations of difficulties in the implementation process.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested in a Fox News interview on the 15th that he wanted Israel to withdraw or redeploy its forces from occupied areas in Lebanon and southern Syria.
Trump said, "I think it would be good if they pulled out of southern Syria and parts of Lebanon, and that would calm things down somewhat." He added, "We need to focus our energy on the 'big league.' That big league is Iran."
Trump also repeated an earlier proposal by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa that Syria should send troops into Lebanon to "deal with" Hezbollah, arguing that Syria would be "more precise" than Israel in dismantling the group.
jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-jun Reporter