The US Embassy in Beirut announced the conclusion of the Rome talks between Lebanon and Israel, after two days of discussions, which it described as “constructive and positive,” noting that practical progress had been achieved in the process of implementing the tripartite framework agreement.
The embassy explained that a practical structure for the pilot zone in southern Lebanon had been agreed upon, with its final formulation and implementation beginning in the coming days, in the first announced transition from the political negotiation stage to the field application stage.
She stressed that the next stage will witness a transition to expanded technical talks, focusing on implementing all provisions of the tripartite framework, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
The technical talks are expected to address the details of the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of the Lebanese army in the area being evacuated, and the mechanism for verifying the implementation of commitments, in addition to the security and field arrangements that are supposed to precede the move to other areas.
The American announcement means that the Rome talks did not end in a comprehensive and final agreement, but they succeeded in developing an implementable preliminary formula for the experimental zone, in preparation for field testing before expanding the scope of application.
An official Lebanese source had revealed that the Rome meeting concluded an agreement on two experimental areas in southern Lebanon, one of which is under Israeli control, while the second is located adjacent to its sites, with the executive details to be discussed during a supplementary meeting that includes Lebanese and Israeli military delegations under American sponsorship.
Lebanon insists that a third party be responsible for verifying the Lebanese army’s completion of its missions in the experimental areas, in order to avoid granting Israel the authority to evaluate the performance of the military institution or linking its withdrawal to unilateral assessments.
Beirut also seeks to set a clear timetable for applying the experimental zones model to the rest of the southern regions, ensuring that the Israeli withdrawal does not stop at the first stage, and that the agreement turns into a gradual path that includes all Lebanese territories where Israeli forces are present.
On June 26, 2026, Lebanon and Israel signed a tripartite framework sponsored by the United States in Washington, which the US State Department said sets a practical path out of the conflict and reaches more stable arrangements between the two sides.
The Rome talks came after five previous rounds held in Washington, and focused on addressing the stumbling block in implementing the framework agreement, especially the disagreements related to the names of the experimental areas, the sequence of Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the mechanism for verifying the completion of its missions.
The announcement of the start of implementation in the coming days is the most prominent announced result of the Rome talks, but the basic test will remain linked to the extent of Israel’s commitment to withdraw from the agreed-upon area, and the ability of the technical talks to set clear dates for the subsequent stages.
Thus, the negotiations move from formulating general principles to the stage of military and technical details, while reaching a comprehensive agreement remains linked to the success of the experimental zone, consolidating the ceasefire, completing the Israeli withdrawal, and extending the authority of the Lebanese state over its entire territory.
