Rome talks reportedly face major test as Lebanon pushes for Israeli withdrawal from occupied border towns

❗️Rome talks reportedly face major test as Lebanon pushes for Israeli withdrawal from occupied border towns ▪️According to Al Liwaa newspaper, negotiations set to begin in Rome are expected to be highly contentious, with Lebanon entering the talks demanding that Israel first withdraw from occupied areas in southern Lebanon before discussing other issues. The Lebanese delegation is expected to propose withdrawal from key occupied towns, including Bint Jbeil, Khiam, and parts of the Nabatieh region, while Israel is reportedly insisting that the Lebanese Army eliminate any remaining Hezbollah presence near the border or face Israeli military action. ▪️The report says the framework agreement is increasingly at risk of collapse as Israeli military operations continue across southern Lebanon. It notes that Israeli occupation forces have maintained daily strikes, demolitions, incursions, and artillery attacks while expanding operations around Ali al-Taher Hill, Shaqif (Beaufort Castle), and surrounding villages. Recent attacks included large explosions in Kounine, Taybeh, and Haddatha, drone strikes in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, shelling between Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Rumman, incursions into Wadi al-Hujair, and attacks on Ali al-Taher and Al-Mansouri, alongside reports of homes being burned in the Al-Mashaa area between Al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun. ▪️Al Liwaa adds that Washington continues to publicly back the Lebanese Army despite Israeli criticism of its role. The coming Rome negotiations will likely determine whether the framework agreement can still be preserved or whether it is on the verge of complete collapse. ▪️The widely praised 'progress' on the ground following the Lebanon-Israel framework agreement is entirely hollow, given that several designated pilot zones, including Froun, were never even occupied to begin with, and displaced residents are still being strictly barred from returning to villages like Zawtar al-Gharbiya.