Israel, Lebanon and the United States have signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at easing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking what officials described as the first step towards a broader peace deal after months of fighting involving Hezbollah.The agreement follows four days of negotiations in Washington and comes days after the 60-day ceasefire window began. Under the framework, Israel will withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese Armed Forces taking control of those locations as part of a pilot security arrangement, CNN reported.The framework agreement was signed by Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and US State Department Chief of Staff Dan HollerSpeaking at the signing ceremony, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as an important breakthrough but cautioned that significant challenges still lie ahead.“Today is the beginning of the beginning. There’s a lot of work ahead. We don’t, in any way, underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead. But we understand the importance of it, how vital it is. And we are honoured to play a part in bringing this together,” Rubio said.He added the agreement offers hope for both countries after years of conflict.“The people of Lebanon and Israel deserve to live in peace and security, but have long suffered from conflict. What they deserve is what they once had — a prosperous and peaceful country. We believe today is the first step in that journey,” he said.Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, called the agreement an important milestone towards restoring the country’s sovereignty.“The framework is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security and prosperity,” she said.Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter also described the agreement as the beginning of a long-term peace process.“The final destination of the framework is peace between the two countries. Real peace, where both countries will live in security, where Israel’s and Lebanon’s sovereignty will be respected, honoured and protected. In this performance-based trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out. Hezbollah is out. And the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in,” Leiter said.
What does the agreement include?
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel will withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon that the Israeli military no longer considers strategically necessary.One of the areas lies north of the Litani River, while the other is located south of the river within territory currently occupied by Israeli forces.The Lebanese Armed Forces will deploy in these areas under a pilot programme agreed as part of the latest ceasefire framework.Israeli officials said the redeployment is linked to efforts to remove Hezbollah’s military infrastructure from southern Lebanon, with further withdrawals expected only if security conditions improve.In a televised address after the signing, Netanyahu described the agreement as both a security achievement for Israel and a setback for Iran.“This is also a major blow to Iran,” he said.“Iran is trying to force us into a withdrawal from southern Lebanon by force. In effect, Israel, Lebanon and the United States are telling them: this is none of your business.”Netanyahu also said Israel would continue maintaining a military presence in parts of southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.Separately, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a pilot project under which the Lebanese army would gradually assume control of selected areas after Hezbollah’s military presence is removed.
Hezbollah rejects the framework
Hezbollah was not involved in the Washington negotiations and swiftly rejected the agreement.Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah criticised the deal, saying it amounted to unilateral concessions by the Lebanese government.“The course being pursued by the Lebanese authorities amounts to unilateral, gratuitous concessions that will only undermine the country and serve the interests of the Israeli enemy,” he said.He warned that the agreement ‘risks creating dangerous internal divisions’ within Lebanon.The latest conflict began after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel shortly after the Israel-US military campaign against Iran earlier this year. Since then, thousands have been killed in Lebanon while dozens of Israeli soldiers have died during the fighting. Both Israel and Lebanon have repeatedly stated that a lasting ceasefire will depend on resolving the issue of Hezbollah’s armed presence in southern Lebanon.
