US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon on Friday after several days of talks in Washington.
“We are pleased to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and, of course, the Government of Israel, with the mediation and support of the United States,” Rubio said at the signing ceremony.
He said the agreement “begins to lay out a framework for lasting peace and security.”
The US-brokered talks were aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lebanon became involved in the Middle East war on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Hezbollah has rejected the peace initiative and was not part of the US-brokered talks.
What is in the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel?
Officials did not share details of the agreement and did not say how its terms would differ from those set out in the April 16 ceasefire agreement.
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh and Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter signed the trilateral document with the US at the State Department in Washington.
The agreement is the result of five rounds of talks in Washington – the first direct political-level talks between the two sides since 1983.
Earlier, Reuters reported that the talks included discussion of a proposal by Israeli forces to hand over some territory they had captured in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Army.
Israel maintains a security buffer zone extending about 10 kilometers (six miles) across southern Lebanon.
Israel’s operation continues in Lebanon
Shortly after the agreement was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video shared with Israeli media that “We are maintaining the basic security zone at all times, outside the range of anti-tank fire. We are not allowing Hezbollah to enter it, nor are we allowing the civilian population to enter.”
Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which was announced in April and has since been extended several times.
Ahead of the latest round of talks in Washington, both sides agreed to stop firing.
The interim agreement between the US and Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, also stipulates “an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah
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