ROME: Israel said it will not agree to expand Piolt Zones in the South of Lebanon and will oppose any French role in the Pilot Zones Mechanism, according to Israeli media. Lebanon and Israel held a fresh round of US-sponsored talks in Rome on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking Israel’s phased withdrawal from the country’s south. Convoys carrying delegations from the two countries arrived in the morning to the US embassy in the Italian capital, where discussions are scheduled to run until Thursday.

The three-day negotiations will focus on expanding pilot zones in southern Lebanon, as Washington presses Beirut to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure while urging both sides to…

The latest talks come as Israel continues to occupy and strike southern Lebanon.