Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold their next round of US-brokered talks on 4 August in Italy, a Lebanese official told Reuters on Wednesday.

The two longtime foes have held several face-to-face talks since April, billed as a way to put a permanent end to the war that began on 2 March.

The ambassador-level direct meetings are unusual for countries that remain formally at war and have had no normal diplomatic relations through decades of invasion, military occupation and cross-border conflict.

Five meetings hosted by the United States produced a framework deal late last month, which foresees the disarmament of Hezbollah, the progressive withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and the deployment of Lebanese troops in areas they have vacated.