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Lebanon and Israel Sign Framework for Phased Israeli Withdrawal
Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-brokered framework agreement on June 26 that outlines steps for Israeli forces to leave southern Lebanon in stages. The deal gives the Lebanese army control of pilot zones where it must disarm Hezbollah before reconstruction begins.
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Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement in Washington on Friday that lays out a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah by Lebanese forces. The agreement was reached after a fifth round of direct talks under U.S. auspices.
It sets out steps for lasting peace and security nearly four months after fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2.
The framework assigns the Lebanese Armed Forces control of two initial pilot zones, one south of the Litani River and one north of it. Israeli forces are to withdraw from those zones once the Lebanese army assumes control. The army must then disarm Hezbollah and remove its infrastructure before reconstruction starts.
The pilot zones are designed to expand until the Lebanese army regains all territory occupied by Israeli forces inside a roughly 10-kilometer buffer zone. A trilateral military coordination group will oversee the gradual process. The framework aims for full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, though it does not provide for an immediate complete pullout.
More than 4,200 people have died in Lebanon during the conflict, the majority of them civilians. The agreement follows a ceasefire imposed in mid-June as part of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. " — U.S. Secretary of State Marc Rubio, June 26 (Le Monde) Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the framework agreement, describing it as humiliating, shameful and a surrender of sovereignty.
