U.S.-Brokered Framework Sets Pilot Zones for Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon

A U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel establishes two pilot zones where the Lebanese military will gradually assume full security responsibility during an initial Israeli withdrawal. The agreement was announced as the latest development in ongoing regional diplomacy.

Israeli police took four settlers into custody after they allegedly attacked a vehicle carrying a CNN media crew in the town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank. Officers seized the settlers' vehicle and found clubs and a knife inside. Settlers also destroyed a farm in the al-Masoudiya area and wounded four people in Masafer Yatta.

A drone attack on a vehicle near Nuseirat camp in Gaza killed one person and wounded several others, according to emergency services. Israeli air raids continued on southern Lebanon, with the latest reported in al-Mansouri in Tyre district.

Representative Ro Khanna stated that Israeli settlers brandishing American-made M4 rifles detained him and other Americans during a trip to Palestine, and that the IDF sided with the settlers and continued the detention.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN warned that Tehran will stop honouring the MoU with the U.S. if attacks continue and accused Washington of a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter. Officials stated that Washington views the July 11 meetings in Oman as pivotal for future diplomacy.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar to discuss mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran. Former UK ambassador Nicholas Hopton stated that vague provisions in the US-Iran MoU, particularly Article 5 concerning the Strait of Hormuz, have contributed to competing interpretations and recent tit-for-tat strikes, while adding that the MoU should still be considered a major accomplishment that reduced gaps between the two sides.