Summary: A Lebanese military source said that the meeting between Lebanon and Israel was postponed due to the need to complete the preparation of technical files, implementation plans, and executive procedures.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun left Beirut this morning for Washington, where he will meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on July 21, according to the Lebanese presidency, after a new round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations concluded Wednesday in Rome.

A statement from the presidency added that Aoun, in addition to his summit with Trump at the White House, will hold meetings and consultations with a number of US officials addressing the situation in Lebanon and ways to consolidate the ceasefire and Israel's withdrawal from the Lebanese areas it occupies.

Members of the Israeli army at a assembly point on the border with Lebanon (AFP)

The virtual meeting

Meanwhile, the United States postponed the virtual meeting that was scheduled for Friday between the Lebanese, Israeli and US military delegations, dedicated to discussing the executive mechanisms for the first phase of implementing the 'pilot areas,' thus delaying the start of practical steps for the framework agreement, especially those related to the 'pilot areas.'

The technical meeting that was agreed upon during the last round of negotiations held at the beginning of the week in Rome aimed to finalize the executive mechanisms for the first phase, which is based on the withdrawal of the Israeli army from a number of pilot areas in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army there under the supervision of the monitoring committee, in preparation for expanding the scope of implementation in later phases.

Lebanese media said the postponement of the meeting was due to technical reasons or other issues related to the topics of discussion, including the deployment of the Lebanese army.

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A Lebanese military source said that the meeting between Lebanon and Israel was postponed due to the need to complete the preparation of technical files, implementation plans, and executive procedures.

The sixth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, held in Rome under US sponsorship, concluded with an agreement to complete the structure of the pilot areas and begin implementing them within days, according to the 'framework agreement' aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and preparing conditions for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army.

The framework agreement does not set a binding timetable for completing the Israeli withdrawal, while Israel maintains its position that it will not withdraw from the security zone it seeks to maintain at a depth of about 10 kilometers from the border, before ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah in those areas, a condition seen as highly complex given the Lebanese reality.