▲ Vehicles carrying Israeli and Lebanese delegations enter the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
Israel and Lebanon began two days of negotiations in Rome, Italy, on July 14 (local time) to end armed clashes along their border.
According to foreign media outlets including AFP, vehicles carrying the delegations entered the U.S. Embassy in Rome under tight security on the morning of that day.
The main agenda for the talks is the withdrawal of Israeli troops from a pilot zone in southern Lebanon.
The pilot zone serves as a testing ground for a phased withdrawal of troops, aimed at ending the full-scale conflict between Israel and the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah and restoring peace in the border region.
Last month, the two sides reached a basic agreement, mediated by the United States, stipulating that the Lebanese government military would take over security and control once Israeli forces withdraw from the pilot zone.
However, Israel has been delaying implementation, citing reasons such as security assessments and stating that more time is needed to complete the withdrawal from one of the two pilot zones.
Before the talks, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said, "We are prepared to move forward with the plan to withdraw forces from the two pilot zones," adding, "There will be progress in the Rome negotiations."
The Lebanese presidential office stated the previous day that "the delegation sent to Rome has been instructed to demand an immediate withdrawal of troops from the Israeli side before any further discussions."
However, it remains uncertain whether the negotiations will make progress, as Hezbollah has completely rejected the basic agreement between the two sides.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains the stance that there will be no troop withdrawal as long as the threat from Hezbollah persists.
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on the negotiations.
The talks will be held behind closed doors until July 15.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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