Israeli-Lebanese Framework Agreement Reached on Friday

A framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon was signed on Friday after five rounds of direct talks at the U.S. State Department. The agreement is conditioned on Hezbollah being removed from the south. Officials said the deal would allow two sovereign states to restore security and prosperity along the shared border. The agreement was described as a setback to the Iranian axis.

Troops received instructions to protect themselves first when confronting threats in the security zone. Officials stated this directive came from the defense minister, the chief of staff, and the deputy chief of staff. Officials also directed forces to leave nothing behind in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated.

Forces have pushed Hezbollah back and destroyed infrastructure used for attacks, including tunnels.

Officials stated Hezbollah previously held an arsenal of 150,000 missiles and rockets. The group now retains about 8 percent of that stockpile after the elimination of some 9,000 operatives. The IDF is prepared for potential Iranian missile fire and maintains a list of targets inside Iran. Officials said they will act if definitive intelligence about Iranian decisions is obtained.