2nd day of Lebanon-Israel Rome talks concludes amid continued Israeli attacks

The second day of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome concluded Wednesday, a Lebanese source told Anadolu, as Israeli military aggression continued across parts of Lebanon.

"The second day's sessions of the negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, held Wednesday in Rome, have concluded," the source said.

The three-day talks, which began Tuesday and run through Thursday, mark the second round hosted by Rome after five previous rounds in Washington as part of a US-mediated negotiating process.

The negotiations are taking place amid continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon, including intensive drone and warplane overflights over Beirut and the southern city of Tyre, mock air raids and shelling targeting areas in southern Lebanon.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the 2023-2024 war, while its latest offensive pushed more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory.

Earlier Wednesday, a senior Lebanese official told Anadolu that "the atmosphere on the second day was much better than on the first."

Washington gave positive feedback on Lebanon's presentation, but Beirut is still awaiting a response from Israel's political leadership on renewing the ceasefire and halting Israeli violations, the official added.

According to the source, the second day included three parallel meetings covering political, military and border issues, with discussions becoming more substantive than during Tuesday's sessions.

The negotiations are continuing despite ongoing Israeli attacks and after Beirut and Tel Aviv signed a US-brokered framework agreement in June.

Earlier Wednesday, one Lebanese civilian was killed, and 12 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on the southern town of Tebnine, while families fled the town of Mansouri after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings amid continued escalation.

Lebanon and Israel signed the latest framework agreement in Washington under US auspices on June 26, 2026, outlining a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory beginning with pilot areas where the Lebanese army would gradually assume security responsibility.

The agreement calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of armed groups, in an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

Israel has continued its aggressions in Lebanon since March 2, killing 4,333 people and injuring 12,250 others, according to the Health Ministry.