Lebanon has rejected a proposal to move the next round of US-mediated talks with Israel from Washington to Rome, Lebanese diplomatic sources told Alaraby TV on Tuesday, insisting the negotiations should remain in the US capital.
The Lebanese delegation informed US officials that it remained committed to holding the sixth round of talks in Washington, rejecting Israel's announcement that the negotiations would instead take place in the Italian capital, the sources said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the next round of talks would be held in Rome next week.
His comments came after Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, announced during a meeting with the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington that the sixth round of direct talks between Lebanon and Israel would be held in Rome on 15 and 16 July at the ambassadorial level.
Leiter also said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was expected to meet US President Donald Trump on 21 July, according to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. The upcoming talks follow the signing of a controversial trilateral framework agreement between Lebanon , the United States and Israel on 26 June after the fifth round of negotiations in Washington.
The agreement provides for two pilot zones involving an Israeli military withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the disarmament of armed groups operating outside state authority—namely Hezbollah .
Earlier on Monday, Aoun stressed the importance of deploying the Lebanese army along the country's borders and called for increased pressure on Israel to withdraw from the areas it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon .
He said Israel's continued presence undermines the authority of the Lebanese state, prevents the army from fully deploying, and obstructs efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.
"The Lebanese army and security forces are the cornerstone of stability and security in the south and of enabling residents to return to their homes," Aoun said. "There is no place for civil war in Lebanon , and its return is not on the table, despite attempts by some to stir up sectarian strife."
Aoun made the remarks during a video call with the American Task Force on Lebanon, thanking the organisation for its continued support for Lebanon and urging it to back the US-mediated framework agreement to ensure its implementation, particularly its provisions relating to Lebanese sovereignty and extending state authority across the country.
He said negotiations had become "the only remaining option" after the war failed to achieve its declared objectives, warning that Israel's continued refusal to withdraw from Lebanese territory would undermine the goals shared by both Washington and Beirut of restoring Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and state institutions.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamadeh blamed the Lebanese authorities for Israel's continued military aggression in southern Lebanon , including attacks that have killed several civilians and destroyed homes and villages.
He accused the government of relinquishing Lebanon's sovereign rights by agreeing to the framework deal, arguing it had provided Israel with a pretext to justify its continued presence in southern Lebanon while opening the door to external interference in the country's internal affairs.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 8,246 people since October 2023, with over 4,000 of those deaths occurring after the latest round erupted on 2 March 2026.