The next round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon has been pushed off until next month, a State Department official said Saturday.

The next round was supposed to take place next week in Rome but now will now be held in October, the official said, adding that the two countries’ ambassadors will still meet at the State Department to discuss implementing the framework deal meant to disarm the Hezbollah terror group and phase the IDF out of southern Lebanon.

Scheduling conflicts led to the delay, an Israeli official said, though the development suggested slowing momentum amid Israel’s upcoming elections and Hezbollah’s refusal to comply.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed “there are no new talks with Israel at the present time,” according to comments carried by local media from a trip he made Saturday to south Lebanon’s Nabatieh with the commander of Lebanon’s armed forces.

The postponement comes after a Lebanese official told The Times of Israel this week that “indiscriminate” IDF strikes in southern Lebanon were undermining Beirut’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, while Jerusalem argued that the Lebanese Armed Forces is not yet up for the task.

Israel says its strikes target Hezbollah members and infrastructure, including weapons depots intended for attacks on Israel.

Jerusalem has generally defended the destruction in parts of southern Lebanon by arguing that Hezbollah has riddled many of the........

© The Times of Israel