Italy-Lebanon-Israel Talks/Expert
Italy-Lebanon-Israel Talks/Expert
Dateline : Aug 5-6, 2026
Location : Italy
Duration : 2'33
Rome, Italy - Aug 5-6, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. U.S. Embassy in Italy
2. Various of security guards, police officers on duty
3. Various of negotiators' motorcade arriving, entering U.S. Embassy in Italy
4. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Bernard Selwan El Khoury, founder; president, Center for Oriental Strategic Monitoring:
"The talks primarily focused on military issues. However, multiple technical working groups were also established this time. Beyond military topics, the two sides discussed border demarcation, including maritime and land boundaries. Political issues were also brought to the table."
5. Various of negotiators' motorcade leaving U.S. Embassy in Italy
6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Bernard Selwan El Khoury, founder; president, Center for Oriental Strategic Monitoring:
"Significant obstacles remain. On one hand, the Lebanese Armed Forces need to be further strengthened to enhance their capacity to ensure security in southern Lebanon where Israel still occupies large swaths of territory. On the other hand, there is the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament, which we know cannot be accomplished in a short time."
7. Various of police, media professionals, security guards
A new round of U.S.-mediated talks between Israeli and Lebanese delegations concluded in Rome, Italy on Thursday after three days of negotiations, with no new political agreement announced, underscoring the enduring fragility of the peace process between the two countries.
So far, the outcomes released by the parties remain relatively limited. Yet, a significant signal has emerged from the content of the negotiations: the engagement is gradually shifting from discussing ceasefire arrangements to how to implement post-ceasefire security mechanisms.
"The talks primarily focused on military issues. However, multiple technical working groups were also established this time. Beyond military topics, the two sides discussed border demarcation, including maritime and land boundaries. Political issues were also brought to the table," said Bernard Selwan El Khoury, founder and president of the Center for Oriental Strategic Monitoring or COSMO, an Italy-based think-tank.
Under a framework agreement previously reached by Lebanon and Israel in Washington in late June, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are to withdraw from designated "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon and hand over the control of these areas to the Lebanese army.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told media on Thursday that the talks were "productive" and that the two sides had "significantly narrowed differences" on advancing and expanding the pilot zones. However, Lebanese media, citing informed sources, reported that no breakthrough had been achieved on expanding the pilot zone arrangements.
At present, notable disagreements persist over the preconditions required for implementing the agreement. Lebanon is pushing for further Israeli troop withdrawals to create conditions for restoring its control over southern Lebanese territories, while Israel insists that relevant arrangements can only proceed when the local security environment is deemed sufficiently guaranteed. Meanwhile, no breakthrough has been made on disarming Hezbollah, a critical factor affecting the implementation of the agreement.
"Significant obstacles remain. On one hand, the Lebanese Armed Forces need to be further strengthened to enhance their capacity to ensure security in southern Lebanon where Israel still occupies large swaths of territory. On the other hand, there is the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament, which we know cannot be accomplished in a short time," said El Khoury.
The talks were punctuated by renewed tensions on the ground, underscoring the vulnerability of the current diplomatic process. On Thursday, the IDF said in a statement that it had conducted precision strikes in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as "Hezbollah's violations of the ceasefire agreement."
ID : 8493184
Published : 2026-08-07 15:00
Last Modified : 2026-08-07 18:32:46
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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