Israel ramped up pressure on Lebanon’s negotiating team in Rome on Wednesday, issuing an evacuation warning for the southern Lebanese town of al-Mansouri, north of the “Yellow Line,” as talks entered a second day without agreement on a new pilot zone or key verification measures. The warning came as negotiators remained divided over the location of a second pilot zone, the mechanism for verifying compliance in the first zone and the inspection of private property. The only breakthrough was Israel’s recognition of Lebanon’s demarcated land border, Lebanese sources briefed on the talks told Asharq Al-Awsat. Technical, political and security sessions were held on the second day of the seventh round of direct, US-sponsored negotiations in the Italian capital. Beirut is seeking a series of Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon, followed by the phased deployment of the Lebanese army and the return of displaced residents. The delegations held three separate, parallel meetings covering political, military and border issues. As the sessions were underway, the Israeli military ordered residents of al-Mansouri to evacuate ahead of strikes against Hezbollah, issuing its first such warning in several weeks. Lebanese sources briefed on the negotiations said the presidency instructed the delegation to demand that Israel not carry out the threatened attack. Lebanese media reported that the delegations left the talks early due to the warning. Local broadcaster Al Jadeed cited presidential sources as saying Lebanon had called for a renewed and reaffirmed 60-day full ceasefire, with the timing of its announcement to be agreed later. The warning deepened Lebanese suspicions that Israel was using military pressure against Beirut. The evacuation would force more than 15 families from their homes as Lebanon pressed for an expansion of the pilot zones, a reduction in tensions and compliance with the ceasefire. The sources said negotiators failed to agree on a second pilot zone. Lebanon wants it to include the cities of Bint Jbeil and Khiam, a proposal that Israel has rejected. No alternative location was agreed upon. Lebanon said it remained open to establishing the second pilot zone in any other occupied part of southern Lebanon if Israel rejected the two proposed cities. Verification and property inspections Wednesday’s sessions also failed to settle the mechanism for verifying the Lebanese army’s deployment in the pilot zones, the withdrawal of Hezbollah members, the dismantling of any military facility or position outside the control of Lebanon’s official authorities, and the removal of unauthorized weapons. Negotiators also remained divided over how private property and civilian homes in the pilot zones would be inspected. The sources said the main positive outcome was Israel’s recognition of Lebanon’s border maps and its rights under international law. During the border session, the Lebanese delegation presented a detailed case backed by legal and historical documents. It traced the border from the 1949 Armistice Line through the UN-drawn Blue Line to the current situation on the ground. Sources close to the Lebanese presidency said the US side praised the presentation as technically rigorous and thoroughly documented. Military and political tracks In a separate military meeting, negotiators discussed the pilot zones on two tracks. The first focused on completing work in two areas now under Lebanese army control and the possibility of expanding them. They included Zawtar al-Gharbiya, from which the Israeli military had withdrawn, and the towns of Froun and Srifa, where the Lebanese army had tightened security measures. The second focused on drawing up a phased timetable for additional pilot zones, with Lebanon formally proposing Bint Jbeil and Khiam, according to presidential sources. The sources said Israel had not formally stated its position on the two proposed pilot zones. The political session focused on the third party that would oversee verification. Discussions over the mechanism continued, with several countries expressing readiness to take on the role. Lebanese presidential sources said Beirut would raise the issue of prisoners during Thursday’s talks in Rome. Lebanon and Israel agreed on June 26 to US-mediated security arrangements aimed at calming hostilities along the border. Israel has said, however, that it will retain a security zone in southern Lebanon to eliminate what it describes as the threat posed by Hezbollah.
