The governments of Israel, the United States, and Lebanon signed a framework agreement on Friday over the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the agreement, saying that it “begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security.”
Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, described the agreement 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.”
Under the reported agreement, Israeli forces will continue to occupy what they call a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tying any withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has said that it will continue to fight until Israeli forces are expelled from Lebanon and warned Friday that the agreement, which seeks to involve Lebanese government forces in the “disarmament” of Hezbollah, could create conditions for “civil war.”
An Israeli official explained to The Times of Israel “how minor the withdrawal will be” while the Israeli outlet noted that “it is unlikely… that such a limited withdrawal will satisfy Iran.” The first article of the interim peace agreement to end the Iran War calls for the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon” and “ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Israel would occupy southern Lebanon indefinitely, stating that “we dominate southern Lebanon, from the summit of the Beaufort, and we will remain as long as required,” adding that “we do not intend to withdraw from it.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made similar comments this week.
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