LBCI sources: Lebanon-Israel Rome talks advance on military terms as political, legal issues remain unresolved

Negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations in Rome continued Thursday across three parallel tracks—political, military and legal—with discussions delayed by one hour for U.S.-related reasons, according to sources following the talks who spoke to LBCI.

The legal track focused on the issue of detainees and missing persons under international law, including the exchange of lists. The discussions remain complex, the sources said, noting that Lebanon does not have official lists of individuals held by Israel because those concerned are civilians and are officially considered missing persons.

The sources added that Lebanese negotiators are seeking a list of Lebanese nationals believed to be in Israel, after which the International Committee of the Red Cross could begin taking action.

On the military track, negotiators discussed terminology and operational concepts, achieving progress toward agreement on several definitions, according to the sources.

Politically, the talks centered on the proposed pilot zones, with Lebanon reiterating the need for strict adherence to the ceasefire. The sources said a second pilot zone was discussed seriously, but no final agreement had been reached as of Thursday.
 
The sources identified Zawtar El Charqiyeh as one of the proposed pilot zones under discussion.

They added that no progress has yet been made on the detainee issue, while Israel has raised the matter of Lebanese Jews who went missing in Lebanon.