A Lebanese official has denied a Reuters report claiming that Beirut had agreed with Israel on a shortlist of countries that could send troops to Lebanon to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah, and said it was following up on the issue with Washington, Reuters reports.

The official stresses there is no such agreement and that Beirut is still in discussions with the United States on the matter.

A June 26 deal, brokered by the US, linked the progressive withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon to the “verified disarmament” of all non-state armed groups by the Lebanese government. Hezbollah, which is not a party to the agreement, has rejected disarming.

Reuters reported last week that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to a shortlist and reported on Wednesday, citing three sources, that the list included Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as potential contributors to the verification mechanism.