Lebanon to attend Rome talks only if Israel withdraws from 2 ‘pilot’ zones: diplomatic source
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanon demands Israel’s withdrawal from two “pilot zones” in the south as a condition for participating in the next round of direct negotiations in Rome next week, a diplomatic source familiar with the talks told AFP on Wednesday.
The two sides had previously met for five rounds of US-sponsored talks in Washington aimed at ending the war between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and paving the way for peace.
They recently reached a framework agreement that calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory while Lebanon’s army deploys into “pilot zones.”
However, the agreement — rejected by Hezbollah — does not set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal, and Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a “security zone” 10 kilometers (six miles) deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
