US official says Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome to continue Wednesday

US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel will move into a second day, a State Department official said on Tuesday.

The opening talks of the latest round of negotiations were held in Rome.

The discussions revolving around the way forward to implement the agreement signed in Washington last month that aims to disarm Hezbollah and push Israel to withdraw from Lebanon were productive. They were held in a “positive atmosphere,” according to the State Department official.

“Both sides are eager to move forward. Today’s conversations will continue tomorrow,” the official added.

Previous rounds of talks, launched by the Trump administration earlier this year, were held at the State Department and the White House.

So-called pilot zones are being discussed by all sides, where Israel would withdraw before being replaced by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected to visit the White House on July 21, the White House previously said.

Frustration in Washington over Lebanon’s failure to disarm Hezbollah has been building for years, particularly on Capitol Hill. That frustration was reflected in this year’s US defense policy bill, which significantly reduced military assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

In May, the chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee also urged that US aid to the LAF be cut unless the military takes tangible steps toward disarming Hezbollah.