Israel committed 125 violations of Lebanese airspace in four days: UN

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continues to observe daily Israeli violations of Lebanon’s airspace, roadblocks and activities in its territorial waters despite an April conditional ceasefire agreed by Israel and the Lebanese government reached via US-led talks, according to an update on the UN website.

“Between Thursday and Sunday, peacekeepers recorded 125 air violations, with the combined total overflight time exceeding 418 hours,” it said, adding: “Surveillance and armed drones were observed near or above UNIFIL positions in both sectors.”

On April 24, US President Donald Trump announced that the 10-day temporary ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which came into effect on April 17, had been extended for three weeks.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health, in its latest statement, reported that 4,333 people have died in Israeli attacks since March 2, when Israel started a new offensive on the country.

Hezbollah says negotiations with Israel bring ‘shame and humiliation’ to Lebanon

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem has said that Lebanon’s direct negotiations with Israel “bring Lebanon nothing other than shame, humiliation, disappointment and constant concessions.”

Qassem denounced the talks in a televised speech today marking the 40-day mourning period for Imam Husayn, the end of Ashura.

He also criticized the role of President Joseph Aoun, saying that he “did not act as an arbiter and unifier, but instead became a source of division, and this is entirely inconsistent with both his role and Lebanon’s strength”.

Lebanese and Israeli delegations begin direct talks in Rome

A seventh round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel has begun in the Italian capital under US sponsorship, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Delegations from both sides are taking part in the talks to discuss issues related to the implementation of their US-mediated framework agreement signed in June, NNA said.

Italian news agency ANSA and Israeli media outlets also reported the opening of the talks.

Rome hosted a sixth round of talks on June 14, following five rounds in Washington, which resulted in the signing of a framework agreement on June 26.

The agreement provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory in return for the deployment of the Lebanese army in those areas and the disarmament of armed groups, a reference to Hezbollah.

The talks come amid continued tensions along Lebanon’s southern border and ongoing Israeli land-clearing, demolition and explosive operations against homes and other structures in several southern towns.

What to expect as Israel-Lebanon negotiators meet in Rome

Lebanese and Israeli delegations, featuring politicians as well as military officers, are meeting in Rome. This is the latest round of negotiations. What they are discussing is the implementation of the framework of their agreement, which was signed in Washington.

When the US State Department announced the dates of these talks approximately a week ago, they said discussions would focus on expanding the so-called “pilot zones”.

But 24 hours ago, the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, said the process should not be rushed, that “we should not move too quickly and we need to do things right from the first time before there are subsequent withdrawals, subsequent pilot zones”. That gives us an indication that we might not see much progress.

The “pilot zone” process began in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army withdrew; it left behind a village in ruins. The Lebanese army deployed and now it’s supposed to ensure that Hezbollah is prevented from returning. But there’s still no mechanism for how this is going to work, and the Israeli army is insisting that it has some sort of role in verifying this process.

A few meters away in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Israeli troops are present. And that is just one out of more than 60 villages under Israeli occupation across southern Lebanon.

Before the latest rounds of talks, Israeli politicians have repeatedly said there would be no further withdrawals from the areas they occupy until they verify Hezbollah is disarmed. When you hear statements like these, it gives you an indication of how hard this process will be. It took the Israeli army weeks to withdraw from this one town, and it’s not even fully liberated – there’s a neighborhood in the distance that no one can access because it’s sort of a buffer zone… People returned to nothing; most of the homes are uninhabitable.

Lebanon PM Salam appears to hit back at Hezbollah

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam appears to have taken a swipe at Hezbollah, accusing the group of “recklessly” dragging the country into a war and “usurping” Lebanese sovereignty as a result.

Without naming the group or its leader Naim Qassem, he said in a post on X that Hezbollah pulled the country into “futile ‘support’ war adventures, thereby giving [Israel] pretexts to aggress against our country, trample its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, kill its sons, and displace them by the hundreds of thousands”.

Earlier today, Qassem criticized the Lebanese government for negotiating with Israel. The Hezbollah chief said such talks could only bring “shame and humiliation” to the country.

A meeting between Israeli and Lebanese negotiators is under way in Rome as both sides work to build on a US-brokered framework agreement signed in June.

Nawaf Salam, who was a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, makes a false accusation.

Go to Tab 5 on the front page to read how the so-called war in Lebanon unfolded.

Israel-Lebanon talks deal with implementing a US-mediated framework

Lebanon and Israel are holding another round of US-brokered talks in Rome, Italy.

So far, there’s been little progress in implementing their framework agreement. Lebanon wants Israeli troops to further withdraw from areas they’re occupying. But Israeli officials say there won’t be further withdrawals until Hezbollah disarms.

Israel, Lebanon deadlocked on withdrawal process

Ziad Abu Rish, associate professor of human rights and Middle East studies at Bard College, says Israeli and Lebanese officials appear to be “in a deadlock” as they enter their seventh round of negotiations.

“The Israelis have noted that they are unwilling to ‘withdraw’ from any additional so-called pilot zones, while the Lebanese government for now is pushing for greater withdrawal by the Israelis and a clearer timeline for those withdrawals,” Abu Rish said.

He said that if Lebanon is unable to apply sufficient pressure on Israel, Israel may seek to continue occupying large swaths of southern Lebanon for the long term.

“It’s a question, I think, of military tactics and how far they are willing to stretch themselves with the persistence of Hezbollah resistance operations and, of course, the ongoing war with Iran,” he added.

US says Israel-Lebanon negotiations continuing through Thursday

The US State Department has said the latest round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations that began in Rome today will continue through August 6.

In a post on X, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the discussions are bringing together both sides’ technical teams to “advance full implementation” of the June 26 framework agreement.

That includes Hezbollah’s “verified disarmament”, the “pilot zone process” – which would allow the Lebanese military to regain control over certain Israeli-occupied land – and the Israeli military’s “redeployment” from southern Lebanon.

“The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south,” said Pigott.

Direct Hezbollah involvement would ‘improve the Lebanese negotiating position’

Ziad Abu Rish, associate professor of human rights and Middle Eastern studies at Bard College, says many elements of Lebanon’s government are not engaged in the negotiation process with Israel, weakening its position.

“When we say the Lebanese government is engaged in this process, we should really be speaking about the president of the republic, the prime minister, the foreign minister and some of their ambassadors,” Abu Rish said.

“This is not an agreement or a process that has been put forward to the Lebanese cabinet or the Lebanese parliament, in large measure because Hezbollah is not the only critic of this agreement,” he said, referring to the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement reached in late June.

He added that Lebanon’s Amal Movement and many other politicians, including some critical of Hezbollah, are also “very skeptical”.

Abu Rish said that “involving Hezbollah more directly would be an important step in improving the Lebanese negotiating position”.

Israeli military sets off explosion in southern Lebanon’s Haddatha

Israeli forces have set off a “huge explosion” in the southern Lebanese town of Haddatha, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The reported explosion comes on the first day of a new round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Rome, aimed at advancing a June framework agreement, under which Israeli forces would gradually pull out of southern Lebanon as Hezbollah disarms.

Israel builds bases deeper inside southern Lebanon: Israeli media

Israeli forces are establishing new bases deep inside southern Lebanon, potentially for a long-term presence in the occupied territory, Haaretz reports, citing satellite images and field visits.

Israeli forces control about 602sq km (232sq miles) of Lebanese territory, extending up to 12km (7 miles) from the border in some areas, Haaretz said. The military has built at least seven new bases and 32km (20 miles) of logistical roads.

A senior Israeli officer cited by the outlet said troops had been told to prepare for a stay of up to a year. New bases have been established in areas including Khiam and Maroun al-Ras, where most buildings have been destroyed.

The expansion comes despite a US-brokered agreement providing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal as the Lebanese army reasserts control and Hezbollah is disarmed.