The next round of US-led negotiations between Lebanon and Israel will take place in Rome from Aug. 4 to 6, a State Department official said late Monday, as Washington works to broaden a fragile process aimed at ending the state of war between the two countries.The official said the parties enter the discussions with significant momentum, citing the launch of the first pilot zone in southern Lebanon and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House last week.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.In Rome, technical groups will focus on advancing full implementation of the framework agreement. That work includes expanding the pilot zone process, resolving outstanding border issues, and moving toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two sides.The talks build on a trilateral framework signed by Lebanon, Israel and the United States on June 26 after several rounds of direct negotiations.Under the deal, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is to assume sole security control of areas vacated by Israeli forces and certify that they have been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure. Lebanese troops began taking over the first three villages, Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, on July 20, despite two of them not being occupied by Israeli forces.The State Department official described the first pilot zone as a concrete opportunity to deliver progress on the ground, restoring Lebanese state authority through what the official called the verifiable disarmament of terrorist organizations. Experience from the initial zones, the official added, would help refine implementation so it can expand in a phased manner.Obstacles remain. Israel has said its forces will stay in a security zone roughly six miles deep along the frontier for as long as Hezbollah remains armed, and the framework sets no timetable for a full withdrawal.Hezbollah has rejected the arrangement.The State Department official called the trilateral framework the only path to lasting peace, saying full implementation serves the interest of both countries and that the Trump administration is committed to its success.Read more: Lebanon army condemns Israeli attacks preventing deployment in south