Israel and Lebanon Expected to Announce Framework Deal After Fraught Washington Talks

Senior Israeli officials said Friday evening that Israel and Lebanon are expected to soon announce a framework agreement reached after four days of negotiations in Washington. The talks were the fifth round between the two sides and came amid what participants described as the worst session so far.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a day earlier that the sides were moving toward understandings on pilot zones for Hezbollah's disarmament. In those areas, the Israel Defense Forces would likely withdraw from territories already cleared, and the Lebanese Army would take over.

People familiar with the talks said the atmosphere during this round was especially tense and negative, both at the US State Department and at the Pentagon. One Israeli source said that despite the disagreements, the Americans pressed hard for an agreement. Israeli officials also said the Lebanese and Israelis were angered by a Lebanese clause added to the memorandum of understanding with Iran.

According to those officials, Washington inserted that clause without consulting either Israel or Lebanon, doing so only because of Iran's insistence. The expected framework announcement would follow the difficult negotiations, but no final text or implementation timetable was disclosed.