The next round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Rome have been delayed until October, AFP reports, citing a US official.

Last month, the United States had said the next round of talks in the Italian capital would take place in early September.

While the Rome talks will not go ahead as planned, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors will meet at the State Department in Washington next week “to discuss ongoing developments and the continued implementation” of a framework deal agreed in June, the official says, on customary condition of anonymity.

The US official says the deal “remains the only viable mechanism to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and Israel’s security”.