Hezbollah Fails to Derail Beirut-Jerusalem Talks as 2 Israeli Soldiers Die in Ceasefire Blast
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 7
Hezbollah Fails to Derail Beirut-Jerusalem Talks as 2 Israeli Soldiers Die in Ceasefire Blast
3 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 7
Summary
Rome talks between Beirut and Jerusalem continued last week despite Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets, with some sessions ending early after renewed violence in southern Lebanon.
A Wednesday explosive incident killed 2 Israeli reservists after a similar blast wounded 5 Lebanese soldiers days earlier; Israel blamed Hezbollah and answered with fresh strikes, testing a June US-brokered deal.
Experts said the attacks have complicated but not halted diplomacy: Eran Lerman called it a balancing act between pressuring Hezbollah and preserving Beirut’s room to negotiate, while David Schenker said Lebanon’s government still appears committed.
Pilot withdrawal zones now serve as the key test of whether the Lebanese Armed Forces can curb Hezbollah, especially as domestic opposition, property-search limits and Shiite weapons caches threaten implementation.
A failure in those zones could sink not only Israeli withdrawal plans but also a broader opening toward normal relations, which experts said would undercut Iranian influence and require Lebanon to replace Hezbollah’s parallel social infrastructure.