President Joseph Aoun shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo published on X by the Lebanese presidency /@LBpresidency)
President Joseph Aoun met in Rome on Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, thanking her for "the support provided by Italy to Lebanon at various levels," according to a message from the Lebanese presidency. As expected, the two officials discussed the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), to which Italy contributes one of the largest contingents and whose mandate expires at the end of 2026.
More generally, Aoun "discussed with her the situation in Lebanon, particularly in the South in light of the continued Israeli attacks," according to the Lebanese presidency. Meanwhile, the Israeli army had resumed its air strikes in southern Lebanon and conducted a series of demolition operations in the villages under its control.
Finally, Aoun raised the "need to put pressure on Israel so that it respects and implements the framework agreement reached during the Lebanese-U.S.-Israeli negotiations in Washington" at the end of June. In this context, he thanked the Italian president for "hosting the tripartite negotiations [early August, with new talks scheduled for September in Rome], as well as for the role Italy has played in strengthening security and stability in the South."
On the first day of his visit to Italy on Thursday, Aoun met with Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican had expressed its "serious concerns" about the implementation of the framework agreement. The continuation of the "pilot zones" project, where the Lebanese Army is supposed to disarm Hezbollah, is on hold due to a lack of progress in the latest round of direct talks in early August. Beirut accuses Israel of not accepting Lebanese conditions, which include a complete cease-fire as well as an end to the demolition and earth-moving operations carried out by the Israeli army. The two sides also have not agreed on the composition of an international force to supervise the disarmament of Hezbollah.
