Israel, Lebanon Sign U.S.-brokered Framework Agreement; Netanyahu: IDF to Remain in Southern Lebanon - Israel Security
Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement on Friday, after four days of fervent negotiations mediated by the United States, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that "there is still a lot of work ahead of us."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, according to the agreement, the Israeli army will continue to remain in the vast majority of the "buffer zone" it holds in southern Lebanon, and it would retain "operational freedom" in the area until Hezbollah is disarmed.
He added that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on two areas where a pilot program would be carried out to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and transfer control of the territory to the Lebanese Army. According to an Israeli diplomatic official, the United States is expected to oversee the Lebanese Army's activities in the agreed pilot areas.
According to Netanyahu, the IDF recommended the two areas: one located south of the Litani River, which is outside Israeli-held territory, and the other, north of the Litani, which also includes "a small part of the expanded security zone."
The prime minister described the signing of the framework agreement as a "major blow" to Iran. "Iran is trying to force us, by means of force, to withdraw from southern Lebanon. In effect, Israel, Lebanon and the United States are telling them: this is none of your business. You have no role in Lebanon," he said.
Secretary of State Rubio said the agreement maintains that the United States, Israel and Lebanon create a trilateral group that would coordinate militarily between all sides to implement the framework. He said that the United States will "remain fully engaged and commit significant resources, including an immediate $100 million in humanitarian assistance in coordination with the UN."
The secretary also pledged $30 million worth of American support to the Lebanese army, designated for improving the Lebanese Army's military capabilities, to allow it to "more effectively establish sovereignty throughout Lebanese territory."
Rubio remarked that the signing "marks another major milestone in President [Donald] Trump's effort to bring lasting peace and stability to the region."
He said the framework agreed to by both parties "establishes a clear and structured process to restore Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and enable Israel to return to its borders once that threat to its citizens is removed."
Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad described the agreeement as "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 the meeting in which the agreement was reached was "long and difficult."
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, who represented Israel in the talks, referred to his previous remarks saying that the talks were a "train running off the tracks."
"Iran and its proxies wanted a train wreck," he said. "Together with Secretary Rubio and his entire staff, indefatigable team, we've put the train back on the tracks, and it's running in the right direction. Final destination, peace between our two countries."
The talks, attended by embassy and military representatives, were scheduled to take place over three days and focus on cease-fire terms between Israel and Hezbollah and the redeployment of the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon, concurrent to an Israeli military withdrawal from territories it currently holds in southern Lebanon.
However, the talks were extended by an additional day on Thursday. A regional source told Haaretz that the delay in talks between Israel and Lebanon stems from disagreements over the proposed pilot zones from which Israel is expected to withdraw. According to the source, the sides were presented with a map, but neither side has validated it.
The Israeli far-right’s West Bank land grab and why it's a ticking time bomb
According to reports in Lebanon, Beirut objects Israel's demand that the pilot zones begin outside the Lebanese territory it occupies, with Beirut first taking over Hezbollah strongholds.
Meanwhile, the IDF said on Friday that four IDF soldiers were wounded in a clash with a Hezbollah militant in southern Lebanon Thursday night, one of them moderately.
Arab media reported Israeli airstrikes killed two people and wounded at least one in southern Lebanon on Friday morning.