Lebanon to Demand Expansion of Trial Zones in Upcoming Negotiation Round

The seventh round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is set to begin on Tuesday in Rome and will continue for three days, according to a Lebanese source. The delegation will be led by Ambassador Simon Karam, accompanied by Ambassador Nada Mawwad and a military delegation.

The source told Al-Hadath that Lebanon intends to propose moving to the second phase of the trial zones during this seventh round, with the city of Bent Jbeil included in this phase.

Furthermore, the source indicated that if Israel rejects the Bent Jbeil proposal, Lebanon will request the inclusion of the town of Al-Khiyam in the trial zones.

The source emphasized that Lebanon’s approach in this seventh negotiation round focuses on adding "occupied towns" to the trial zones. Lebanon will not accept Israeli verification of the implementation of the first phase but insists that verification be conducted by other parties.