Israel, Lebanon, and the United States signed a framework agreement and security annex on Friday aimed at removing the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group from southern Lebanon and laying the groundwork for broader political cooperation between the neighbouring countries.
Key Details of the Agreement
Under the deal, Hezbollah would withdraw, or be removed, from designated pilot zones that would then be transferred simultaneously from Israeli military control to the Lebanese Armed Forces. The phased process would continue until Lebanon assumes responsibility for the south, although Israeli officials have said an expanded security zone will remain along the border.
“It’s the beginning of the beginning. There’s a lot of work ahead,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the signing ceremony. In a later statement, he called it “a bold decision” of Israel and Lebanon to come together.
Negotiation Process
The agreement followed five rounds of talks in Washington, including an unexpected fourth day of negotiations this week after discussions stalled on Thursday over final wording. Rubio called the framework an important first step toward future negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
He blasted Hezbollah as “Iran’s most dangerous proxy,” responsible for dragging Lebanon into war and plotting attacks against Americans. He said that it also supports “drug trafficking networks that fuel violence in our hemisphere and outside the United States and directly threatens American citizens” globally.
Israeli Perspective
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the agreement “a great achievement” for the Jewish state. “We are maintaining the original security zone outside the range of anti-tank missiles,” Netanyahu said. “We are not allowing Hezbollah to enter there, nor the population. It is being maintained, and the most important thing is that Israel says, ‘Our security comes first.’”
Implementation and Support
The agreement begins with two pilot zones recommended by the Israel Defense Forces, according to Israeli officials. One is south of the strategic Litani River, outside the recently established security zone known as the Yellow Line, while the other is north of the Litani, with a small portion extending into the expanded security zone.
Rubio also announced the launch of a trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, along with US$100 million in humanitarian aid contributions to support Lebanon, with the United Nations. He also said that there would be US$30 million in reimbursements for the Lebanese Armed Forces to help in its mission.
“The first step sometimes is the hardest one, but it’s important,” Rubio said at the agreement signing. “Hopefully we’ll have many more of these conversations and make real tangible progress, so that the people of both of these countries can be hopeful about the future, a future of peace, a future of prosperity, a future of mutual coexistence.”
