A US official said Friday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, which had been scheduled to take place in Rome, has been postponed until October.
The United States announced last month that the Israeli-Lebanese talks in the Italian capital would be held in early September.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that although the talks would not take place as scheduled, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors would meet at the State Department in Washington next week “to discuss current developments and continue implementing” the framework agreement reached in June.
Lebanon and Israel concluded a framework agreement on June 26 following five rounds of negotiations in Washington. The agreement calls, in particular, for the disarmament of Hezbollah and Israel’s gradual withdrawal from territory it occupies in southern Lebanon, as well as the deployment of the Lebanese army, initially in “two pilot areas.”
The US official said Friday that the agreement “remains the only viable mechanism for restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and Israel’s security.”
After the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the conflict by firing missiles at Israel.
Fighting between the two sides eased following a memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June and a subsequent agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
However, Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon have intensified in recent days.
The announcement of the postponement came a day after Israel destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel network beneath Ali al-Taher Heights in southern Lebanon.
Following the Israeli military’s announcement of the demolition operation on Thursday, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded in southern Lebanon, according to the US Geological Survey.
A source familiar with preparations for the talks told Agence France-Presse that the postponement resulted from several factors that prevented key figures from participating.
The source said these included preparations for the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly, Jewish holidays and the Paris conference in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Source: (AFP)
