ROME — Lebanon and Israel have agreed on a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah under a US-brokered agreement. The United States is due to pick countries from the shortlist during ongoing negotiations in Rome.

The shortlist was produced during meetings between Lebanon and Israel at the US embassy in Rome on August 7, 2026. A Lebanese official declined to identify any of the countries on the shortlist or say how many there were.

"We have reached a short list of countries. We decided which parties were impossible for each and set the potential actors," a Lebanese official said. "The Americans will now decide, and could pick more than one country."

"All of the actors proposed are countries. We still need to discuss exactly how this would work, how many forces would be deployed and how they would work with the Lebanese army," the Lebanese official said. Beirut rejected an earlier proposal for private security companies to play the role of third-party verifier of Hezbollah's disarmament.

The talks are part of the implementation of a June 26 deal that links Israel's progressive withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah. Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has refused to give up its arsenal.

A framework for the presence of foreign troops in Lebanon would need to be agreed, possibly by housing them under UNIFIL, whose mandate is due to expire at the end of 2026. The Lebanese official stated that housing troops under UNIFIL would require a new UN Security Council resolution, which the US and Israel were willing to consider. Other possibilities for housing foreign troops include a separate UN agency or a memorandum of understanding with Lebanon. Israel and the US are opposed to extending the mandate of UNIFIL.

The latest round of US-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon began on Tuesday in Rome and will continue through Thursday. The seventh round of US-mediated talks began with the aim of establishing new pilot zones in southern Lebanon. The negotiations on Wednesday are the second day of the seventh overall round of talks. Tuesday’s session was split into political and military tracks.

The Lebanese political delegation comprises former ambassador to the US Simon Karam, incumbent ambassador Nada Mouawad, legal adviser Antoine Sfeir, and land-surveying expert Najib Massihi. The Lebanese military delegation is led by Brigadier-General George Rizkallah. Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal met with the commander of Italy’s Joint Operations Command, Lt.-Gen. Giovanni Maria Iannucci. Italy might be one of the countries on the shortlist, according to reports.

For the first time, the Israeli delegation stepped back from demanding that Hezbollah’s disarmament be discussed before the border file. At the outset of the negotiations, Israel insisted that it should be the party authorized to enter areas secured by the Lebanese Armed Forces to provide final confirmation they had been cleared of Hezbollah’s presence. Following opposition from the Lebanese government, Israeli, Lebanese, and US officials began discussing which country or countries could verify that areas are free of Hezbollah personnel and weapons.

The talks did not produce an agreement on the next area from which Israeli troops would withdraw so that Lebanese troops could take control. Beirut proposed Bint Jbeil and Khiam as the next areas for Israeli withdrawal. Lebanon asked that the next pilot zone be in Khiam or Bint Jbeil.

A key focus is Ali Taher Hill, strategic high ground near Nabatieh that Israel says conceals a Hezbollah command center and underground weapons facilities. Israel wants the Lebanese army to secure Ali Taher Hill and dismantle the group’s infrastructure as one of several pilot zones. Beirut says there are no Israeli units at Ali Taher Hill to replace.

An earlier Rome round produced a deal for Israel to withdraw from the outskirts of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, after which the Lebanese army deployed and residents returned. The next round of talks is set for early September.

"The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said."

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem denounced the talks and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's role in them in a televised address on August 5, 2026. The talks would bring nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises for Lebanon, Naim Qassem said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video statement stressing that the framework agreement would allow the Israeli military to remain in occupied Lebanese land. We will maintain [the buffer zone] until Hezbollah disarms and as long as there is a threat to the State of Israel," Benjamin Netanyahu said."

Violence has continued alongside the diplomatic efforts. Five members of the Lebanese military were wounded by an explosive that Israel attributed to Hezbollah two days before the talks began. Maj.

(res.) Harel Birenstock and M.-Sgt. (res.) Tamir Vaknin were killed in an explosive incident on Wednesday. Israel responded to the ceasefire violation with renewed strikes. Israeli forces continue to strike southern Lebanon despite having agreed to a conditional ceasefire in early June.

Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since March 2, 2025, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2025. Israel has occupied nearly one-fifth of Lebanon from the south and has killed more than 4,000 people since fighting erupted in March 2025. More than one million people have been displaced from their homes.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the first round of Lebanon-Israel talks on April 14 in Washington, DC. US President Donald Trump chaired the second round of talks on April 23. The third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off in Washington, DC, on May 14. The fourth round of talks was held in Washington, DC, on June 2 and 3.

Why It Matters

The selection of third-party verifiers determines whether the June 26 deal linking Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament can proceed, as Beirut rejected private security firms and Israel withdrew its demand to conduct verification itself. Establishing a framework for these foreign troops requires resolving differences over UNIFIL's expiring mandate or creating a new mechanism, directly impacting the potential return of over one million displaced people. Without an agreed verification force, the pilot zones necessary for Israeli troop withdrawals cannot be established, leaving occupied territories under current control.