Lebanese source: Beirut won’t attend Rome talks with Israel unless IDF follows through on ‘pilot zone’ withdrawals

By AFP and Jacob Magid

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8 July 2026, 5:45 pm

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Lebanon demands Israel’s withdrawal from two “pilot zones” in the south before participating in the next round of direct talks in Rome next week, a Lebanese diplomatic source tells AFP.

The source, requesting anonymity, says “Lebanon is stipulating Israel’s withdrawal from two pilot zones in order to participate in the round of negotiations” that Italy and Israel said would take place in Rome on July 15 and 16, following a framework agreement signed last month.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel last month that more time was needed for the IDF to withdraw from one of the two pilot zones in southern Lebanon from which it had agreed to pull back as part of the US-brokered framework deal inked with Beirut.