US-Mediated Israel-Lebanon Talks Postponed Amid Intense Explosions and Demolitions in Southern Lebanon

The upcoming round of United States-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon has been officially postponed as Israeli military forces continue heavy airstrikes and systematic building demolitions across southern Lebanon.

During a surprise visit to the conflict-affected southern city of Nabatieh on Saturday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that current negotiations with Israel are on hold. He emphasized that national commitments include withdrawal, the return of prisoners and displaced individuals, and reconstruction efforts.

According to an unnamed US official speaking to the AFP news agency, discussions originally planned for this month in Rome have been pushed back to October. Instead, Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are scheduled to meet at the Department of State next week to review the ongoing implementation of the June framework agreement. This agreement tasks the Lebanese army with disarming Hezbollah within designated pilot zones, while the Lebanese armed group maintains its refusal to hold direct talks with Israel.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz released a joint statement confirming that military forces will maintain their presence in southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing operations.

Meanwhile, intense detonations continue to shake the region. Israeli forces recently detonated 1,100 tonnes of explosives at a site identified as a Hezbollah central command complex on the Ali al-Taher Ridge, generating widespread tremors. Nabatieh, located beneath the ridge, remains a major strategic flashpoint where Israel claims operational control following weeks of intense combat. Recent attacks in the vicinity have resulted in at least 29 deaths over the past two weeks, including 12 members of a single family targeted in an air raid on Kfar Ramman.

On Saturday, heavy blasts impacted the town of al-Mansouri, with shockwaves reaching Tyre and surrounding districts, as reported by Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA). Additional artillery shelling struck the Douha area of Kfar Reman, the outskirts of Arnoun, and Wadi al-Salouqi. These actions followed Friday demolitions that destroyed the majority of al-Mansouri's public school and involved two waves of air raids on Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Concurrently, low-flying Israeli drones were observed over Beirut and its southern suburbs, with reports indicating that forces have increasingly utilized drones to drop explosive barrels onto residential rooftops for systematic demolitions.