Lebanon and Israel kicked off the seventh round of U.S.-mediated negotiations in Rome on Tuesday, with discussions centered on the technical implementation of proposed pilot zones in southern Lebanon and renewed efforts to preserve the ceasefire agreement.

Sources at Lebanon’s presidential palace in Baabda told MTV that negotiations have moved into detailed technical discussions over how the pilot zones would be implemented and coordinated among Lebanon, Israel, and the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L).

According to the sources, Lebanon has proposed expanding the pilot-zone concept to include additional areas, particularly Bint Jbeil and Khiyam, and has not received any indication that Israel has rejected the idea outright. If Israel does not approve those areas, Lebanon has prepared an alternative plan involving other proposed pilot zones.

The Lebanese delegation also made the renewal of the previously declared ceasefire one of its top priorities, insisting that Israel halt what Beirut describes as repeated violations of the agreement. Lebanese officials are seeking to elevate the issue from the Israeli negotiating delegation to Israel’s political leadership, and U.S. officials have shown understanding of Lebanon’s position, the sources said.

In what Lebanese officials described as a potentially significant development, Israel has, for the first time, moved away from its previous refusal to discuss the land border and has agreed to work on re-establishing the internationally demarcated boundary.

Baabda sources also told Al Jadeed that any discussions on new pilot zones would take place only after a clear executive and technical implementation mechanism is agreed upon. Lebanon’s proposed zones are large in scale and would require a detailed operational framework, with Bint Jbeil and Khiam remaining the primary proposals under discussion. The United States has expressed understanding of Lebanon’s request, and Lebanese negotiators have prepared fallback options if no agreement is reached on either area.

Earlier, MTV reported that the Lebanese army planned to present maps during the negotiations showing that it had completed full deployment in several pilot areas. The report said the Lebanese government rejects any Israeli verification of the army’s activities and opposes any Israeli entry into areas where Lebanese troops have already deployed.

Separately, Baabda Palace sources said the presidential palace remains open to all Lebanese political forces, including Hezbollah, but that Hezbollah itself has chosen not to participate in dialogue at the palace.

Moreover, an official source speaking to Al Hadath said the Rome talks began with technical discussions on the implementation mechanism for the pilot zones and confirmed that Lebanon’s first demand was an end to Israeli ceasefire violations. The source said Beirut insisted that the issue be raised with Israel’s political leadership and reiterated that Washington had shown understanding for Lebanon’s demands.

On the Israeli side, officials said the goal of the Rome talks was to maintain what they described as positive momentum by establishing working groups on six key issues. According to an Israeli official speaking to The Times of Israel, the proposed working groups would address maritime borders, land borders, evaluation of the pilot zones where the Lebanese army has replaced Israeli forces, Hezbollah’s disarmament, preventing the flow of Iranian money into Lebanon, and accelerating reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon.