Washington: Israel-Lebanon agreement terms signed Friday require Israel to withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon and transfer the sites to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The deal followed four days of U.S.-hosted talks in Washington. Officials framed the agreement as a first step toward a broader arrangement.
A senior Israeli official said the trilateral agreement among Israel, Lebanon and the United States could pave the way for a future peace deal.
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, called the agreement a first step toward restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israel Defence Forces would leave areas north and south of the Litani River. He said Israeli forces would quit sites they no longer needed.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces will move into the designated areas around the Litani River as part of a pilot programme.
Read: Israel-Lebanon Agreement Sets Framework for Peace Talks
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the signing as “the beginning of the beginning”. He said Washington understood the difficulty of the task ahead.
However, tensions continued after the signing. Israel carried out a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
An Israel Defence Forces official told CNN the strike targeted a person who posed a threat to Israeli forces.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked the Trump administration for hosting the negotiations. He said the agreement would help Lebanese citizens return to land under state sovereignty.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, rejected the agreement on Saturday. He described it as a squandering of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
