Lebanon talks in Rome wrap up without specific timeline on implementation of pledged IDF withdrawals

US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon have wrapped up in Rome, with a State Department spokesperson calling this round’s two days of discussions “productive and positive.”

However, an exact timeline for when Israel will fulfill its pledges to withdraw from two small pilot zones in south Lebanon has still not been offered.

“We agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days,” the State Department spokesperson says.

Israel agreed to withdraw from two pilot zones as part of the framework deal inked with Lebanon three weeks ago. Jerusalem described the withdrawals as a very minor concession given that the pilot zones are located in areas beyond the original buffer zone that the IDF had established in southern Lebanon.

IDF officials have said that while they are ready to implement the withdrawal, they have yet to receive a directive from the political leadership. Lebanese officials accused Israel of dragging its feet and threatened not to attend the talks in Rome this week.

However, the US convinced Beirut to back down from the threat, pledging progress on the Israeli withdrawals.

The Israeli readout on this week’s talks in Rome addresses the issue generally, saying: “⁠The two pilot zones in question were agreed upon. Any further implementation of pilot zones is contingent on the successful implementation of the initial pilot program.”

“⁠⁠The pilot zones will serve to test the successful expression of Lebanese sovereignty through the implementation of agreed upon conditions by the Lebanese armed forces and verification by a third party,” states the readout attributed to an Israeli official, who adds that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) “were not discussed and will not be part of any verification model.”

“⁠⁠With respect to private property, discussions continue to be underway for a solution which will facilitate the removal of contraband weapons while Lebanese law is respected,” the Israeli official says.

The Israeli official also calls this week’s talks “positive,” saying that they “further reinforced that Israel and Lebanon are in agreement on the need to dismantle and disarm Hezbollah and to continue in the process to implement the trilateral framework agreement.”

The State Department spokesperson says that the sides will “now move to expanded technical talks, which will focus on implementing all areas of the trilateral framework with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is slated to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The White House has in the past pushed Aoun to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also slated to be in the US next week.

But Aoun has rebuffed those offers due to the IDF’s continued presence in his country, with the dragged-out implementation of pledged withdrawals from two small pilot zones deep in south Lebanon unlikely to shift his position.