world ๐๏ธ Israel stalls Lebanon withdrawal talks in Rome
Israel refused to withdraw from southern Lebanon during Thursday's Rome talks unless the Lebanese army secured control over two initial pilot zones. The seventh round of negotiations, held under US auspices, aimed to end hostilities with Hezbollah as a secondary front in the Middle East war. In June, a framework deal was agreed upon involving Hezbollah's disarmament and gradual Israeli force withdrawal. Lebanon wants to advance to new areas, but Israel insists on verifying the first two zones before moving forward. The US official noted the sides are closer on advancing the pilot zone process. ๐ค