Representatives from Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement in Washington on 26 June on a ceasefire and the path to peace. The agreement was reached through the mediation of the United States following several days of negotiations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted at the signing ceremony that the agreement should lay the foundations for ‘lasting peace and security’ in the region. The document was signed by the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US, Nada Hamade and Yehiel Leiter. The details of the agreement have not been officially disclosed.
According to media reports, notably from the US-based Axios and the Israeli publication The Times of Israel, the agreement provides for the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the so-called buffer zone in southern Lebanon. This zone was established during fighting earlier this spring, when the Israeli military clashed with the Lebanese Shia group ‘Hezbollah’, which is recognised as a terrorist organisation by both the US and Israel.
It is reported that Israel will withdraw from two sections of the buffer zone, which are expected to be occupied by the Lebanese military. However, Israeli forces will remain in most of the buffer zone, at least for the time being.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Israeli military would maintain a ‘security zone’ in southern Lebanon until the threat posed by Hezbollah had been eliminated, that is, until the group had been disarmed.
Talks between representatives of Lebanon and Israel have been ongoing since April, mediated by the US; the parties had previously agreed to ceasefires on several occasions.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hezbollah told Al-Mayadeen television that the group does not recognise the agreement and will not abide by it, according to Reuters. The organisation operates independently of the Lebanese authorities, considering itself part of the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’, coordinated by Iran.
During peace talks with the US, Iran insisted on a ceasefire in Lebanon and, amongst other things, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country, stating this as a condition of the agreement. Iran, however, signed a memorandum of understanding with the US last week, despite this demand not having been met. Israel, for its part, states that it will act in the interests of its own security regardless of any agreements between the US and Iran. This stance has led to a series of sharp statements from US administration officials regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon.