Lebanon and Israel hold new round of direct talks in Rome

Lebanon and Israel hold new round of direct talks in Rome Lebanon and Israel have begun a new round of US-sponsored direct talks in Rome, as Beirut seeks Israel's withdrawal from the south of the country. At negotiations in Washington in June, Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a framework deal that involved the disarmament of Hezbollah, which Hezbollah rejected at the time, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region. This week's negotiations, se