Lebanon Denies Agreeing to Shortlist of Hezbollah Disarmament Verification Countries

August 13, 2026 — A Lebanese official denied a Reuters report that Beirut had agreed with Israel on a shortlist of countries — reported to include Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia — that could send troops to verify Hezbollah's disarmament under the June 26 US-brokered framework. The official said there was no such agreement and that Beirut was still following up with Washington. The denial complicates the verification-mechanism track produced at the seventh round of Rome talks (Aug 4-7) and comes as Hezbollah, which is not a party to the agreement, continues to reject disarming.