Israel-Lebanon talks resume in Rome while Hezbollah chief slams Aoun as 'biased, divisive'

Israel and Lebanon resumed peace talks in Rome on Tuesday, while Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem denounced the talks and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a televised address. Qassem said the talks would bring 'nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises' for Lebanon, and accused Aoun of being 'biased and divisive.' The last round concluded on July 15, with both parties agreeing on the need to disarm and dismantle Hezbollah terrorists. Separately, the IDF's 401st Armored Brigade ended an eight-month mission in southern Lebanon, destroying over 1,200 Hezbollah structures and killing more than 60 terrorists.

Israel and Lebanon resumed peace talks in Rome on Tuesday morning, marking a new round in the ongoing negotiations. Shortly before the talks began, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a televised address denouncing both the talks and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's role in them. Qassem said the talks would bring 'nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises' for Lebanon, and accused Aoun of failing to act as an arbiter or unifying figure, instead becoming 'biased and divisive.' The last round of talks concluded on July 15 in Rome, during which both parties agreed on the need to disarm and dismantle Hezbollah terrorists, according to an Israeli official. Previous rounds were also held in Washington, including in June. In a separate development, the IDF's 401st Armored Brigade ended its eight-month mission in southern Lebanon, targeting and destroying Hezbollah terror infrastructure. The military confirmed on Sunday that the brigade destroyed over 1,200 Hezbollah structures, seized weapons, destroyed hundreds of meters of underground tunnel systems, and killed more than 60 Hezbollah terrorists. The operation also located over 600 weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles, machine guns, and Kalashnikov rifles.