US announces Israel-Lebanon framework after Washington talks

The United States announced a framework agreement Friday between Israel and Lebanon, calling it an initial step toward ending months of fighting that has killed thousands in Lebanon and left Israeli forces in the country’s south.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared in Washington with Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, after four days of U.S.-mediated talks. The officials did not release details of the agreement, which was signed by Leiter and Hamadeh.

“It’s the beginning of the beginning,” Rubio said. “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.”

Hamadeh described the framework 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 called the latest meeting “long and difficult,” according to Al Jazeera.

Leiter said the talks had “put the train back on the tracks” and that the “final destination” was peace. “Real peace, where both countries will live in security, where Israel’s and Lebanon’s sovereignty will be respected, honored, and protected,” he said. “In this performance-based trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out. Hezbollah is out. And the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in.”

Hezbollah was not part of the talks. The Lebanese group has rejected the process, with Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah saying it amounted to “unilateral, gratuitous concessions that will only undermine the country and serve the interests of the Israeli enemy,” Al Jazeera reported. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Friday that “Israel must leave unconditionally.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the announcement that Israel would remain in southern Lebanon. “The most important thing is, first of all, that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. This is a major achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

Lebanese officials have said securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon is a top priority, while Israeli officials have prioritized the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah. NBC News reported that an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the direct negotiations include discussions about redeploying Israeli forces after southern Lebanon is cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure and Hezbollah has disarmed.

The latest conflict began when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the United States launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28, NBC News reported. Israel invaded Lebanon and expanded its control. More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since March, and at least 37 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon or northern Israel during the fighting, according to NBC News.

A ceasefire agreed to last Friday reduced attacks but did not stop them, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon, three people were killed in a strike Thursday, and more houses were burned as Israel continued what it described as a campaign against Hezbollah. NBC News reported that a lull earlier this week showed signs of cracking after Israel said it targeted Hezbollah militants in several strikes across southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that a proposal for “pilot zones,” where the Lebanese army would take exclusive control as Israeli troops withdraw, was under discussion pending Israeli approval. He said the Washington negotiations were separate from Iran-U.S. talks in Switzerland.

Al Jazeera reported that the Washington meeting was the fifth round of mediated talks in recent months. Rami Khouri, a fellow at the American University of Beirut, told the outlet that a framework alone was “not something very significant” and said Hezbollah’s absence could make any agreement harder to enforce.