By Gloria Ogbonna
Israel and Lebanon have signed a landmark U.S.-brokered security framework that officials described as the first significant step toward reducing decades of conflict between the neighboring countries. While leaders acknowledged that many challenges remain, they hailed the agreement as a breakthrough that could eventually lay the foundation for a lasting peace.
The framework was formally announced on Friday at the U.S. State Department by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was joined by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Mouawad. The announcement followed several days of intensive negotiations in Washington.
Rubio stressed that the agreement is only the beginning of a long process.
“There is a lot of work ahead,” Rubio said, describing the accord as “the beginning of the beginning.” He emphasized that both Israelis and Lebanese deserve to live in peace after years of conflict, instability, and outside interference.
“This first step sometimes is the hardest one, but it’s an important one,” Rubio said. “We do not underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead, but we understand its importance.”
Pilot Security Zones Planned
Under the new framework, Israel and Lebanon will establish two pilot security zones in southern Lebanon. Within those areas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are expected to withdraw from limited territory while the Lebanese Armed Forces assume security responsibilities under close supervision from the United States military.
Israeli officials said the pilot program is intended to test whether the Lebanese military can effectively secure areas previously controlled by Israel while preventing Hezbollah from re-establishing its presence.
If the initiative proves successful and Hezbollah infrastructure is dismantled, additional Israeli withdrawals could follow.
Netanyahu: Israel Will Not Leave Until Hezbollah Is Disarmed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the agreement but made clear that Israel will maintain its broader security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is fully disarmed and no longer poses a threat to northern Israeli communities.
“The most important thing is that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released after the signing. “We will maintain it as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed and as long as there is a threat to the State of Israel.”
Netanyahu argued that the agreement protects Israel’s security interests while rejecting Iranian efforts to influence developments in Lebanon.
“This is also a major blow to Iran,” he said. “Iran is trying to force Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Israel, Lebanon, and the United States are making it clear that Iran has no role in Lebanon. Neither Iran, nor Hezbollah, nor any terrorist organization will determine Lebanon’s future.”
The Israeli leader explained that the framework creates two limited pilot zones based on recommendations from the Israeli military.
One zone is located south of the Litani River outside Israel’s current security zone, while the second covers a small section north of the Litani that Israeli forces captured during recent military operations but no longer consider strategically necessary.
According to Netanyahu, Israel will continue controlling the original security zone along the border to ensure Hezbollah fighters remain beyond the range of anti-tank missiles capable of threatening Israeli border communities.
“Our security comes first,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli Ambassador: Framework Opens Door to Peace
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter described the agreement as a performance-based framework that links future Israeli withdrawals to measurable security improvements on the ground.
He said the arrangement could eventually pave the way for a formal peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon if Hezbollah is removed from the country’s security structure.
“Real peace means both countries living in security, where Israel’s and Lebanon’s sovereignty are respected, honored, and protected,” Leiter said.
“In this trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out. Hezbollah is out. And the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in.”
Leiter argued that decades of hostility between the two countries have largely been fueled by Iranian support for Hezbollah.
“There is no reason under the sun why Israel and Lebanon cannot live in peace,” he said. “Only Iran’s desire to maintain a proxy army on our border has prevented that. But we have news for them—we’re here to stay.”
Lebanon Sees Opportunity to Restore Sovereignty
Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad also welcomed the agreement, calling it an opportunity to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and restore stability in areas devastated by conflict.
“The trilateral framework we’re signing today is the first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mouawad said.
She added that the agreement seeks to establish a permanent end to hostilities while allowing displaced families to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
“Our people deserve to return to their land and live in peace, security, and prosperity,” she said.
Expanded U.S. Role
Unlike previous ceasefire arrangements, the new framework gives the United States a much larger operational role.
American military officers will work directly with the Lebanese Armed Forces in the pilot zones, helping train personnel, monitor security conditions, and verify that Hezbollah fighters do not return to areas transferred from Israeli control.
Israeli officials believe the increased American presence gives the agreement a stronger chance of succeeding than earlier accords, which they say failed because Hezbollah repeatedly rebuilt its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Officials also stressed that the framework contains no fixed timetable for additional Israeli withdrawals. Any future redeployment will depend entirely on Hezbollah being disarmed and the Lebanese military demonstrating that it can maintain security independently.
A senior Israeli security official described the agreement as “a historic event” that significantly weakens Iran’s regional influence.
Another Israeli diplomatic official said the IDF will retain complete freedom to respond to any security threats within the existing security zone until terrorist organizations no longer pose a danger to Israel.
Agreement Follows Months of Fighting
The agreement comes after months of intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The conflict escalated after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel following Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and ground operations that resulted in the establishment of a new security zone inside southern Lebanon.
The negotiations also followed broader diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran. Iranian officials had sought to include Lebanon in last week’s U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, a move that reportedly frustrated both Israeli and Lebanese leaders, who argued they had not been consulted.
The new trilateral framework effectively shifts future negotiations over Lebanon’s security back to Washington, Jerusalem, and Beirut while reducing Iran’s direct influence over the process.
Hezbollah Rejects the Agreement
Despite optimism from U.S., Israeli, and Lebanese officials, Hezbollah quickly rejected the framework.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah warned that Lebanese authorities would face fierce resistance if they attempted to implement the agreement with American backing.
According to his remarks, Hezbollah would oppose any effort to remove its military presence and would continue holding onto its weapons.
Fadlallah claimed Lebanese authorities could only enforce the agreement “through civil war,” adding that Hezbollah’s opposition was “serious” and that the group would not allow the framework to be carried out.
His comments underscore what many observers view as the greatest challenge facing the agreement: whether the Lebanese government and military can successfully establish Hezbollah-free zones and reassert state authority over territory long dominated by the Iranian-backed militant group.
While officials acknowledged those obstacles, they expressed hope that Friday’s agreement represents the first meaningful step toward greater stability along one of the Middle East’s most volatile borders.
For now, leaders from all three governments agree that the framework is not a final peace treaty but rather the opening phase of what they hope will become a broader and more durable path toward regional security and cooperation.
Source Breitbart
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