#israelstrikeslebanonkillshezbollahcommander
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— United States President Donald Trump administration mediates between Beirut and Tel Aviv to preserve the framework agreement and avert a wider military escalation, as Lebanese Army Commander
General Rudolph Haykal prepares to visit Rome within 48 hours. Haykal will discuss verification mechanisms for experimental pilot zones involving Italian participation and its UNIFIL peacekeeping contingent ahead of a tentative eighth round of negotiations, Rome-3, scheduled for early September. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun seeks American intervention to secure a time-bound Israeli withdrawal, while officials accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stalling progress until the October 27 Knesset elections — Al-Diyar / Asharq Al-Awsat / NNA.
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US General Joseph Clearfield, head of the special Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, maintained ongoing communications with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and General Haykal to propose selecting specific towns for the second phase of pilot zone expansion. The first phase focuses on Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Froun, and Srifa, requiring a verification mechanism to confirm the removal of all Hezbollah personnel and weaponry. Speaker Berri refuses to support the process without a scheduled Israeli withdrawal and a cessation of the scorched earth policy destroying towns in the Litani region, while Hezbollah continues to reject disarmament or the evacuation of the Ali Taher hills, designating the area as a red line.
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Ambassador Ed Gabriel of the US Task Force on Lebanon called for significant US breakthroughs to bolster Aoun’s domestic standing and counter Hezbollah’s opposition, noting that continued Israeli occupation strengthens the group's argument to retain weapons against internal demands for a state monopoly on arms. In tandem with security talks, the United States plans to host a September economic conference for American and Lebanese business leaders to encourage investment, a move agreed upon during the Washington summit and contingent on achieving tangible progress in the Rome-3 talks to restore diplomatic credibility.
