US announces a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon on June 26, following trilateral talks in Washington that began earlier in the week. The framework lays out what Rubio described as a “clear and structured process” to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and to disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its military infrastructure. The US pledged $100 million in immediate humanitarian aid and $30 million to reimburse the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The agreement’s central difficulty is built into its goal. Hezbollah was not party to the talks, and its leader, Naim Qassem, rejected them and demanded that Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon “unconditionally.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces would remain in their security zone in the south until Hezbollah is disarmed — sequencing that leaves each side waiting on the other to move first. Rubio called the deal “the beginning of the beginning,” signaling how much remains unresolved.
The framework follows the June 17 US-Iran ceasefire, which called for an end to military operations in Lebanon, and marks the fifth round of US-mediated talks. Whether a process that excludes the armed party it is meant to disarm can hold is the open question.