Israeli and Lebanese officials on Friday inked a framework agreement aimed at permanently ending hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, following weeks of talks mediated by the Trump administration in Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the deal as a "first step" toward achieving peace between Israel and Lebanon. "That's what these two nations deserve," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the agreement, calling it a "major blow" to Iran, saying the deal allows Israel to remain in a "security zone" it created in southern Lebanon.
Officials said that the core of the agreement involves two pilot projects aimed at transferring control of certain Israeli-held areas to the Lebanese armed forces.
The US military would verify that Hezbollah is no longer operating there, US news outlet Axios reported, citing US and Israeli officials.
Lebanese officials said the initial measures announced on Friday marked progress toward a gradual and comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.
But Hezbollah, which operates independently of the Lebanese government, was not part of the talks. The Shiite group said on Friday it does not consider itself bound by the framework.
Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, blasted the agreement in an interview with Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen.
Fadlallah said Hezbollah would oppose any government measures stemming from the agreement, retain its weapons and resist efforts by the authorities to impose the deal on the Lebanese people.
"Our opposition is serious, and we will not allow the authorities to implement their commitments on the ground," he said.
The agreement was signed by Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, in Rubio's presence.
Moawad described the framework as a "first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity," saying it would end hostilities and allow Lebanese citizens to return to their homes.
The signing came just hours after Israel again attacked Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, stoking fears that the talks might collapse.
A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in place since June 19 and has largely held in recent days, but major disagreements remain over the future of southern Lebanon that the talks in Washington were intended to begin addressing.
Israel has repeatedly insisted that it will withdraw its troops only once Hezbollah has been fully disarmed and no longer poses a threat to northern Israel.
Broadcaster Al Jazeera cited Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem as saying on Friday evening that Israel must leave Lebanon unconditionally.
The situation in Lebanon is closely tied to broader US-Iran diplomacy.
Iran, a key backer of Hezbollah, has insisted on an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon as a condition for a lasting end to the US-Iran war, while Israel says it must guarantee security for northern communities that have repeatedly come under Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.
The issue has recently fuelled tensions between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
