Israel and Lebanon Near Framework Deal After Heavy U.S. Pressure

Senior Israeli officials said on Friday night that Israel and Lebanon will soon announce a framework agreement reached after four days of talks in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had already said on Thursday that the sides were moving toward understandings on pilot zones for the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Under the expected arrangement, the Israel Defense Forces would likely withdraw from areas already cleared, and the Lebanese Army would take over there. People familiar with the discussions said this week’s round, the fifth so far, was the worst of all the rounds held to date.

Against that tense backdrop, an Israeli source said the Americans pushed very hard to secure agreement despite the disagreements. The atmosphere in the negotiation rooms, both at the State Department and the Pentagon, was described as tense and negative.

Israeli officials also said both Lebanese and Israeli sides were angered by the inclusion of a Lebanese clause in the memorandum of understanding with Iran. According to the officials, Washington added it without consulting either side, only because of Iran’s insistence.