Lebanon says progress made with Israel on border, prisoner issues in Rome talks

Beirut: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said that progress had been made on border issues and the return of prisoners during the latest negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome.

Speaking at a cabinet session on Friday (local time), Aoun said the Rome talks addressed four main issues: a ceasefire, the demolition and bulldozing of houses, the border, and the return of prisoners and the identification of pilot areas, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun said “positive progress” had been made on the border and prisoners’ issues, expressing hope that practical steps would emerge soon, the statement said.

He said the US administration would work to address the remaining issues of a ceasefire and pilot areas, adding that US General Joseph Clearfield would arrive in Beirut soon to follow up on these matters, reports Xinhua news agency.

The remarks came a day after Israeli and Lebanese officials finished three days of negotiations in Rome aimed at advancing security arrangements along their border and implementing a framework agreement reached in Washington in late June, local media reported.

The talks, opposed by Hezbollah, are the seventh round of negotiations between the two governments.

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, UN officials announced that UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported the sharpest escalation in military activity between Israel and Hezbollah since late June, when a US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was signed.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded 113 projectiles fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday, the highest daily figure observed since June 21.

UNIFIL did not detect any projectile launches by Hezbollah during the same period, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UNIFIL also recorded significant aerial activity. On Wednesday, peacekeepers recorded 49 airspace violations, with a cumulative overflight time exceeding 131 hours, the highest level since June 23. They also observed three airstrikes northwest of Al Mansuri, said the spokesperson.

At sea, on Monday, UNIFIL observed IDF patrol boats crossing the Line of Buoys into Lebanese territorial waters before returning south, said Haq.

IANS