Lebanon points to ‘positive progress’ on borders, prisoners in Israel talks

What the report says

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun struck an optimistic tone after the seventh round of Lebanon-Israel discussions held in Rome this week, saying the talks made “positive progress” on border issues and prisoner exchanges. According to the Lebanese presidency, the meeting also covered the ceasefire, the demolition and bulldozing of homes, and proposals referred to as “pilot zones.” Aoun said he expected practical steps to follow, and he also pointed to his recent meetings with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying Washington appeared to understand Lebanon’s position.

Al Jazeera reported that the US State Department described the talks as fruitful and said Lebanon and Israel were closer to agreement on expanding the pilot zones process. That diplomatic optimism, however, was accompanied by continued violence on the ground. Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli forces carried out new attacks on Friday in southern Lebanon, including shelling and drone activity in Meiss el-Jabal, strikes near Bint Jbeil and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, and an attack on an army bulldozer in al-Mansouri that slightly injured a soldier.

The reported strikes add pressure to fragile efforts to reduce tensions after months of cross-border conflict. For residents and displaced families in the south, the gap between negotiations and events on the ground remains wide, especially as Israeli forces continue to issue displacement orders and hit areas outside the zone they occupy.