Israel and Lebanon sign US-brokered framework agreement, Rubio calls it ‘first step’ toward peace
Marco Rubio announced the deal after the fifth round of talks in Washington; it sets a process to disarm Hezbollah but excludes the militant group itself.
The signing ceremony
At the State Department on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio watched as Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh signed the trilateral document. The signature capped the fifth round of diplomatic talks held in Washington.
It’s the beginning of the beginning. There’s still a lot of work to do. Today is the first step. The first step is sometimes the hardest.
Today we took the first step in what will undoubtedly be a difficult but important, essential and necessary path.
Key provisions
Rubio said the framework establishes a clear process to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its infrastructure. It enables Israel to return to its borders once the threat to its citizens is removed and creates a trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, facilitated by the United States. Details of the agreement were not publicly disclosed.
Real peace, where both countries will live in security, where Israel’s and Lebanon’s sovereignty will be respected, honored, and protected. In this performance-based trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out. Hezbollah is out. And the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in.
This framework is 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.
Hezbollah’s exclusion
The militant group, which is backed by Iran and was not invited to the talks, warned through one of its officials in Lebanon that the agreement favours Israel and could trigger civil war. Several prior ceasefire agreements, never implemented on the ground, were reached without Hezbollah’s participation.
Political reactions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the framework would allow Lebanese forces to eventually take control of territory from Israel’s military. Lebanese officials have consistently named a withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon as their top priority in negotiations, while Israeli negotiators have stressed the disarming of Hezbollah.
Background of months‑long conflict
The hostilities began after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the US launched their war on Iran on 28 February. Israel then invaded Lebanon and expanded its control. More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since March, and at least 37 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon or northern Israel during the fighting. A lull earlier this week started to fracture after Israel struck what it said were Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon.
