Beirut Military Talks on Israeli Pullout Proceed Alongside Rome Negotiations

Jerusalem, 15 July, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Rome (Agenzia Nova) – The most important negotiation on Lebanon’s future is not taking place in Rome, in front of Arab and international television cameras that have been following the entry and exit of delegations from the US Embassy on Via Veneto since yesterday. The potentially decisive meeting is underway in Beirut, at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Yarzeh, within the Lebanese capital’s institutional and diplomatic belt, where US officials and representatives of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are discussing the operational aspects of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the first two “pilot zones.” This is what “Agenzia Nova” has learned from sources close to the negotiations, according to which the two discussions are proceeding in parallel and are linked by a direct line to the Lebanese Presidency.

In Rome, the discussions are taking place at a political-diplomatic level, with civilian officials and ambassadors tasked with defining the framework for the mechanism agreed upon in Washington on June 26. In Beirut, meanwhile, discussions are focusing on the concrete conditions necessary to allow the transfer of territorial control from Israeli forces to the Lebanese army.

“The images of delegation cars entering and leaving the US embassy attract attention, but the substantive negotiations are between the US and Lebanese military,” the source explained. The instructions given by President Joseph Aoun are reportedly clear: without a clear deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the pilot zones and the subsequent entry of the LAF, Beirut would not be willing to continue the talks.

The sources explain that the Lebanese representatives present in Rome report directly to the presidency’s military advisors, who are simultaneously monitoring the Yarzeh negotiations. At the end of this phase, it will be up to Aoun to decide whether the conditions exist to continue the negotiation process.

Beirut Pushing for Israeli Withdrawal

This is a particularly delicate decision given the Lebanese president’s visit to Washington, scheduled for July 21, when he is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump. According to the source, Israel is also aware of the Lebanese institutions’ attempt to concretely extend the state’s sovereignty in the south of the country. In recent weeks, Israeli operations have reportedly decreased in intensity: attacks continue, especially when transfers of weapons or equipment attributed to Hezbollah are identified, but no new bombings have been reported in Beirut. At the same time, some displaced persons have begun to return to southern towns, despite a still extremely fragile security situation.

Israel views Hezbollah’s persistent military capabilities as a strategic threat, further exacerbated by the Shiite movement’s ongoing war in support of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. For Beirut, however, the stakes are even greater: rebuilding a state whose sovereignty has been progressively eroded by proxy wars, the presence of militias, and a political-financial system marred by corruption and economic collapse. The country once described as the “Switzerland of the Middle East” has become a major battleground between regional powers, while thousands of savers have seen their deposits disappear in the banking crisis. Lebanese society remains deeply divided.

Fear and resentment toward Israel, fueled by decades of war and what a significant segment of the population considers a disproportionate use of force, coexist with growing intolerance toward Hezbollah and the use of Lebanese territory for external interests. Aoun, if he manages to secure an Israeli withdrawal from the initial areas and the deployment of the army, could gain much broader support for the project of restoring state sovereignty.

Expectations, however, remain low.

“The population is desperate, and not even many Lebanese politicians truly believe these negotiations can succeed,” the source said. Precisely for this reason, more than the positive statements released at the end of the Rome meetings, it will be the eventual setting in Beirut of a date for the first Israeli withdrawal that will determine whether Washington’s agreement can transform into a real process or remain merely an agreement on paper.

‘Pilot Zones’

Diplomatic talks continue today for the second day in Rome, hosted by the United States Embassy, ​​as part of the sixth round of direct negotiations between the parties. The US goal is to translate the framework agreement signed on June 26 in Washington into concrete measures.

At the heart of the talks, held behind closed doors, are the so-called “pilot zones,” the first two areas in southern Lebanon from which Israeli forces are expected to withdraw—according to the framework agreement—leaving control to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) pending the completion of the disarmament of the pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah. Israel is represented by Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, while Lebanon is represented by Ambassador to Washington Nada Hamadeh Mouawad and Simon Karam, former Lebanese diplomatic representative to the United States. The US delegation is reportedly led by Dan Holler, State Department advisor and acting director of the Office of Policy Planning.

In Rome, only civilian officials are present, with no military representatives, unlike the previous round of negotiations hosted in Washington. The absence of officials could limit the ability to address in detail the operational planning for the Israeli withdrawal and the subsequent deployment of the Lebanese army. However, according to a US State Department spokesperson quoted by Israeli media yesterday, the first day of discussions in the Italian capital took place “in a positive atmosphere” and the talks were “productive,” with both sides expressing “a desire to move forward.”

Withdrawal Plan Faces Hurdles

The agreement reached on June 26 stipulates that the Lebanese Army will gradually assume “full and effective security responsibility” in the pilot zones, in parallel with a verified redeployment of Israeli forces. Two initial areas have already been identified, while the possible extension of the mechanism to other portions of the territory will be subject to mutual agreement between the parties. Once the disarmament of non-state armed groups and the dismantling of their infrastructure has been verified, the LAF is expected to gain exclusive control of the areas, allowing the return of the population and the beginning of reconstruction with international support.

The project is expected to begin in the town of Zawtar, in the Nabatieh district. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has also asked the United States to ensure that the nearby Ali al-Taher hill remains under LAF control. According to Aoun himself, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to the request. The Lebanese French-language newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour reported that three commissions, one technical, one military, and one security, would be established to oversee the process.

The main obstacle concerns the sequencing of the measures. Beirut is demanding that Israel immediately begin withdrawing from the first two pilot zones, considered the test of the commitment made in Washington. The Lebanese presidency has instructed its delegation to insist on this point, emphasizing that, according to Lebanese sources, Israeli forces still control over 700 square kilometers in the south of the country.

Israel ties its withdrawal to the removal of Hezbollah’s military presence and the Lebanese army’s ability to effectively take control of the areas. Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, explained that Israel is working with US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Air Force (LAF) to create the conditions necessary for the handover.

“If it works, we will continue with the withdrawal. If it doesn’t work, we will stay where we are,” the ambassador warned in recent days. On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, however, assured that Israel is ready to implement the mechanism, expressing the hope that the Rome round of negotiations will facilitate its initiation.