Zein Khalil / Anadolu

An Israeli official said Wednesday evening that "a third party will verify the implementation of the pilot plan in southern Lebanon."

He added that it "will not be the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), nor the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization."

This came in remarks carried by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday evening, quoting the unnamed official, as the second day of talks between Tel Aviv and Beirut in Rome concluded.

The official said: "Further preparations and understandings are still needed before implementing the initial phases of the pilot areas."

He added: "We estimate that this will be achieved in the coming days."

The official continued: "The talks were positive and reinforced the agreement between Israel and Lebanon on the need to disarm Hezbollah and continue implementing the tripartite framework agreement."

He said: "An agreement was reached on the two pilot areas, with any subsequent expansion of the pilot area model contingent on the success of implementing the first pilot plan," without naming the two areas.

According to him, the pilot areas will be used "to test the success of exercising Lebanese sovereignty by implementing the agreed conditions by the Lebanese Armed Forces, and verification of the implementation of the pilot plan will be by a third party," which he did not specify.

The Israeli official stressed that the third party "will not be UNIFIL or the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, and they will not be part of any verification model," without further clarification.

He noted that "regarding private property, discussions are underway on a solution that facilitates the removal of smuggled weapons while respecting Lebanese law."

Earlier Wednesday evening, Israel Hayom reported that "representatives of the Israeli security establishment are demanding that the Lebanese army, as part of the pilot plan, conduct searches in homes where Hezbollah has hidden weapons."

No official statement was issued by Israel regarding what the official said, nor was there an immediate response from the Lebanese side.

Earlier Wednesday, a US State Department official told Israeli Channel 13 that Washington, in coordination with Beirut and Tel Aviv, reached an agreement on the outlines of a mechanism for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from two 'pilot areas' in southern Lebanon, to be implemented in the coming days.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese source told Anadolu, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the implementation of the 'two pilot areas' plan would begin 'within days' in response to a Lebanese request.

The source added that the Rome talks made progress and addressed in detail the mechanism for implementing the framework agreement and the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

On June 26, Beirut and Tel Aviv, under US auspices, signed a 'framework format' stipulating a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, starting with two pilot (model) areas without naming them.

The agreement did not set a timeline for withdrawal, linking it to the Lebanese army assuming full security responsibility in the areas from which the Israeli army withdraws, and the disarmament of armed groups, with special reference to 'Hezbollah'.

For its part, the Lebanese National News Agency said that the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, which concluded in Rome, addressed a number of issues between the two sides, particularly regarding the two pilot areas.

Five rounds of negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv were previously held in Washington, leading to the signing of a 'framework format' stipulating a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory.

Israel continues its aggression on Lebanon, which began on March 2, 2026, resulting in 4,324 killed and 12,223 injured, in addition to the displacement of over one million people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous war between 2023 and 2024, and during the current aggression it has advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.

In addition to occupying Lebanese territory, Israel occupies Palestinian and Syrian territories and refuses to withdraw from them or to establish a Palestinian state.