Diplomats and technical teams from Israel, Lebanon, and the United States are scheduled to convene in Rome next week to evaluate expanding the pullback of Israeli military forces in southern Lebanon and address long-standing land border disagreements, a State Department official told Axios on Monday evening.
The upcoming round of American-brokered trilateral discussions will run from August 4 to August 6 in the Italian capital.
According to the State Department official, negotiations have gathered "significant momentum" following the rollout of an initial pilot security zone in southern Lebanon, alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s White House summit with President Donald Trump last week.
"In Rome, technical groups will focus on advancing the full implementation of the framework agreement. That includes expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement," the State Department official noted, according to Axios.
The official highlighted that the active pilot program in southern Lebanon serves as a critical testing ground to re-establish Lebanese government control, emphasizing that it "is an opportunity to deliver real progress on the ground, restoring Lebanese state authority through the verifiable disarmament of terrorist organizations and building the confidence needed for next steps."
Lessons learned from early field deployments will shape subsequent phases of the security strategy.
"The experience of the initial zones will help us perfect pilot-zone implementation so it can expand in a phased manner," the official explained.
Reaffirming the White House's commitment to the diplomatic process, the State Department official stressed that the trilateral agreement remains the primary mechanism to achieve stability in the region.
"Fully implementing it is in the clear interest of both countries, and the Trump Administration is committed to its success," the official stated, according to Axios.
On June 26, the US, Israel and Lebanon announced a foundational framework in Washington outlining a withdrawal of the Israeli military from southern areas alongside the deployment of the Lebanese army, slated to begin within two designated "pilot zones".
However, the execution of the pact remains strictly conditional upon the total disarmament of Hezbollah. The Iran-backed terrorist group has completely rejected the framework and the underlying bilateral peace talks.