Israel has agreed to withdraw its forces partially from Lebanon after striking a deal in Washington DC.
Israeli forces will pull out of two areas inside a six-mile-long buffer zone in southern Lebanon and will be replaced by members of the Lebanese forces.
Hezbollah, which was not party to the negotiations, is still insisting that Israel withdraw completely from Lebanon.
Its lawmakers have already said they will resist the deal which cannot be enforced without a “civil war”.
Ongoing fighting between Israel and the Shiite militia group has been a major barrier to achieving long-term peace in the region.
The deal represents a breakthrough for Donald Trump, who is hoping to secure a long-term peace deal with Iran and its proxies within the next two months, but Iran-backed Hezbollah could yet complicate the latest agreement.
Marco Rubio announced the framework agreement on the fourth day of the fifth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington.
“We are happy to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and of course the government of Israel, with a mediation and support of the United States of America,” the US secretary of state said at the signing ceremony.
The agreement “begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security,” Mr Rubio added.
The memorandum of understanding signed by Donald Trump earlier this month called for the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.
However Israel has repeatedly criticised the deal, with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, saying the IDF would remain in areas it occupied in southern Lebanon. Both sides have since continued to exchange strikes despite condemnation from the US and Iran.
Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said the trilateral framework is “performance based”, suggesting that the framework will depend on the implementation of commitments on both sides.
Signing the deal: Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, Daniel Holler, the US state department chief of staff, and Nada Hamadeh, the Lebanese ambassador to the US – Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The two pilot areas for withdrawal are located on opposite sides of the Litani River.
Israeli and US officials said the US military will work alongside the Lebanese army to monitor the deployments and verify that Hezbollah fighters are not present in the designated zones.
The areas have already been cleared by the IDF of Hezbollah infrastructure.
But Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Israel has “no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land,” and that its forces “must leave unconditionally.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, however said Israel has no plans to do so until Hezbollah gives up its weapons.
“The most important thing is, first of all, that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. This is a major achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed,” he said in a video shared with Israeli media.
The withdrawal, though minor in scope, marks the first Israeli retreat since it expanded its presence in southern Lebanon.
In April, the IDF established a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. However, since then the force has continued to push further north into the country. The withdrawal will therefore only cover the areas taken beyond this buffer zone.
Mr Leiter described the agreement as the train being “back on the tracks”. He told the signing ceremony: “In my opening remarks four days ago, I expressed concern that this train was running off the tracks, that Iran and its proxies wanted a train wreck.
“Well, with a lot of hard work on your leadership panel, together with Secretary Rubio’s entire staff in the faculty, we have put the train back on the tracks.”
Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has repeatedly threatened to derail peace efforts.
Projectiles fired
On Saturday, Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least 20 people in an attack which Israel said was in response to projectiles fired by Hezbollah at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
The militia said it would stop attacking northern Israel under a last-minute ceasefire agreed last week, but reserved the right to fight IDF soldiers occupying Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed 4,057 people since March 2. It did not say how many were Hezbollah fighters.
Israeli authorities said at least 32 soldiers and four civilians had been killed in fighting with Hezbollah.
Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, described the talks in Washington as “long and difficult”.
She told reporters after Friday’s signing: “Today 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.”
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, spoke to Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, about the signing of the framework agreement, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
In their phone call, Mr Araghchi updated the Foreign Secretary about the progress of negotiations with the US, and both sides stressed their commitment to regional stability.