Disappointment in Lebanon Following Failure to Expand Pilot Zones

The seventh round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel concluded this Thursday evening in Rome after three days of continuous meetings. Arab media report that Lebanon is disappointed, as the main agreement they hoped to achieve—the expansion of pilot zones to new villages—was not reached.

Reports indicate that an agreement was not finalized because the Israeli side, led by Israel's Ambassador to the USA Yechiel Leiter, insisted on verifying the first two zones where the pilot began before moving to the next stage. Informed sources added that another round is expected to take place on September 1st.

Israeli insistence is understandable, especially following a report by our correspondent Noam Amir, who revealed that the Lebanese army does not control the territory it entered as part of the pilot project. According to his report, Hezbollah still controls large parts of southern Lebanon and is booby-trapping transit routes. Consequently, Lebanese army officers and soldiers are unwilling to scan the organization's buildings, primarily due to the fear that those structures were booby-trapped in advance and explosives are waiting for their forces.

This situation leaves Hezbollah's operational space almost without real interference, contrary to the agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon at the end of June. The consequences of this free activity were felt painfully last night after an explosive device detonated near our forces, killing two soldiers and seriously wounding four.

Although both Israel and Lebanon have shown a willingness to push Hezbollah out of the area adjacent to the border, it appears that only the Israeli side is prepared to act toward this goal on the ground. If the Lebanese army does not succeed in controlling the pilot zones by the next scheduled meeting, any further progress in the talks could be in question.