Middle East: Hezbollah condemns latest Israel-Lebanon talks
08/04/2026 August 4, 2026 Hezbollah and Lebanon's government clash over Israel talks Tuesday's Israeli-Lebanese talks in Rome concern Hezbollah, but do not involve them Image
08/04/2026 August 4, 2026 Hezbollah and Lebanon's government clash over Israel talks Tuesday's Israeli-Lebanese talks in Rome concern Hezbollah, but do not involve them Image: Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu/picture alliance Israeli and Lebanese negotiators met in Rome on Tuesday for a seventh round of US- direct talks, seeking to implement plans to remove Israel's military from its unilaterally imposed "buffer zone" near the de facto border. Even as the talks took place, however, the powerful Iran-backed militia Hezbollah expressed their opposition to the process, casting doubt on the government in Beirut's ability to implement any agreements reached.
"All the direct negotiations will bring Lebanon nothing but shame, humiliation, disappointment and successive concessions," Hezbollah's chief Naim Qassem said in a televised address. He alleged that President Joseph Aoun "has not acted as an arbiter, nor as a unifying figure, but has become biased and divisive, which is incompatible with his role and with Lebanon's strength." Lebanon's Prime Minister Naim Sawaf fired back in a post online, saying that "the greatest help to Israel was provided by those who uniltareally drew Lebanon into the adventures of futile wars...
and granted pretexts to attack our country." Lebanon's government attempted to ordered Hezbollah not to attack Israel in response to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran but the attempt failed. The talks in Rome are seeking to replace the Israeli military in southern Lebanese towns and villages
with Lebanese troops, who should in turn pledge to disarm Hezbollah fighters and prevent them from attacking sites in northern Israel. The places where it takes effect are being called "pilot zones." It was not clear how the Lebanese government plans to secure or enforce Hezbollah's cooperation.
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