The next round of United States-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon has been postponed from next week to October, a US State Department official has confirmed.
The meeting, which was initially scheduled to take place in Rome, will now be held next month.
Despite the postponement, the ambassadors of both countries are expected to meet at the US State Department to discuss implementation of a framework agreement aimed at disarming Hezbollah and facilitating the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
An Israeli official attributed the delay to scheduling difficulties.
However, the postponement comes amid growing disagreements over the implementation of the proposed framework and questions about the pace of efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
A Lebanese official has accused Israeli forces of carrying out indiscriminate strikes in southern Lebanon, arguing that the attacks are undermining Beirut’s efforts to secure Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Israel, on the other hand, has maintained that the Lebanese Armed Forces is not yet capable of fully carrying out the task of dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.
Israel-Lebanon talks postponed to October amid disputes over Hezbollah disarmament