US, Israel deny report of agreement on foreign forces for Hezbollah disarmament

Senior US and Israeli officials denied on Wednesday night a Reuters report claiming that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on the countries that would participate in a future international mechanism to oversee Hezbollah's disarmament. An Israeli source said there is no agreement on the composition of the body, and a US official stressed that discussions are ongoing. The dispute over the identity of the verification body is one of the central issues in the US-mediated talks.

Senior US and Israeli officials denied on Wednesday night a Reuters report claiming that Israel and Lebanon had already agreed on the countries that could contribute troops to a future international mechanism in Lebanon to oversee Hezbollah's disarmament and verify the Lebanese military's activities. Reuters had reported, citing sources, that the UK, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia were agreed upon. However, an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post that the report was incorrect, stating that there is no agreement on the composition of the body and that negotiations are continuing. A US official also denied that an agreement had been reached, stressing that discussions are still ongoing. The dispute over the identity of the verification body is one of the central issues in the US-mediated talks. The article also notes that on Wednesday, a US State Department official said that after three days of technical talks in Rome, the sides had agreed on details for implementing pilot areas and other aspects of the trilateral framework, but significant details remained. The US reiterated its opposition to renewing UNIFIL's mandate, and the sides agreed to work with Washington on a future framework. The diplomatic track is expected to resume in Rome in early September.