Lebanon, Israel end 7th talk as IDF launches heaviest strikes since ceasefire framework

Lebanon and Israel concluded their seventh round of US-brokered direct negotiations in Rome on Thursday, seeking to advance a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army.

However, the three-day talks ended without a final breakthrough over the establishment of initial withdrawal zones, as cross-border violence and disputes over Hezbollah's disarmament continued to hamper progress.

The negotiations, held from Tuesday to Thursday at the US Embassy in Rome, marked the second round of talks hosted by the Italian capital after an earlier session in Washington, DC.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, the main disagreements centered on two pilot withdrawal zones. Israel insisted on verifying full Lebanese army control and tangible progress on Hezbollah's disarmament in the initial areas before expanding its military pullback, while Lebanon called for a faster and broader transition.

The two sides did make some limited progress. Sources said they exchanged preliminary lists of detainees and missing people. Lebanon submitted a list of Lebanese detainees and missing persons and insisted that the first step should be the release of an initial group of civilian detainees. Israel, meanwhile, provided a list containing the names of Lebanese Jews who went missing or were killed in Lebanon.

Negotiators also agreed on a short list of potential third parties for a future monitoring mechanism, according to the sources, though a final consensus on the composition of the verification committee has not yet been locked in.

The United States said a preliminary date for the next round of talks had been proposed for September 1.

Thursday's talks faced severe strain and temporary adjustments following a roadside blast in southern Lebanon on Wednesday that killed two Israeli soldiers, triggering retaliatory IDF air strikes and evacuation warnings.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had carried out retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the previous 24 hours in response to the deaths and injuries of Israeli troops a day earlier.

The IDF said that Israeli forces remained deployed in a designated "security zone" in southern Lebanon under existing arrangements and would continue operations there to eliminate threats against Israel and its military.

The latest escalation has marked the most intense exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah since late June, when a US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was reached, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded 113 projectiles fired by the IDF on Wednesday, the highest daily number since June 21, according to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres. UNIFIL said it detected no projectile launches by Hezbollah during the same period.

The escalation continued on Thursday. Between midnight and 4 p.m. local time, UNIFIL recorded 120 projectiles fired by the IDF, already surpassing Wednesday's full-day total and marking the highest daily figure since June 21, Haq said.

The renewed hostilities have raised concerns that military escalation could undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at consolidating the ceasefire, implementing the Lebanese army's expanded role in the south, and creating conditions for a long-term security arrangement along the Israel-Lebanon border.