Lebanon and Israel began a new round of United States-sponsored direct talks in Rome on Tuesday, as Beirut seeks Israel's phased withdrawal from the country's south. But critics, including Hezbollah, say the talks amount to a "surrender" by Lebanon.
At negotiations in Washington in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a framework deal that involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones".
