U.S. Publishes Full Framework of Israel-Lebanon Deal

The U.S. State Department published overnight, between Friday and Saturday, the full text of the framework agreement signed Thursday in Washington between Israel and Lebanon. Washington said the deal is meant to be a declaration of intent for lasting peace and the basis for peaceful neighborly relations. The emerging agreement includes a pilot Israeli withdrawal from two areas into a new security buffer zone, plus a security annex dealing with tunnels and Hezbollah’s military buildup. Israel has argued that, despite disputes over the withdrawal starting point, the deal legitimizes continued IDF presence in southern Lebanon.

According to the published terms, Israel and Lebanon recognize each other’s right to exist peacefully and say they want to end the conflict definitively, including any state of war. The two governments would begin a gradual process in which the Lebanese Army restores sovereignty across Lebanon, tied to the disarmament of all non-state armed groups, while the IDF withdraws step by step from Lebanese territory. Two former Hezbollah-controlled areas in southern Lebanon would serve as a pilot, after both sides agreed to that designation. If those areas are demilitarized, the Lebanese Army would take full security responsibility, rebuild them with international support, and allow residents to return.

Lebanon also commits to reestablishing exclusive control over force across its territory and to ensuring that no non-state armed group has a military or security role. It asks for international help, especially from Arab states and under U.S. leadership, to complete that task. Israel says its military actions in Lebanon will respond only to Hezbollah attacks, threats, and hostile intent, and states it has no intention of occupying Lebanese land.

The deal says Lebanon’s security forces are solely responsible for the country’s defense and that only they may declare war or peace. Both sides say the framework does not limit their right to self-defense under the UN Charter and international law, and they will create a military coordination group with U.S. support to oversee implementation. The two countries also vow to work toward a more comprehensive peace and security agreement, while the U.S. is expected to help with reconstruction, humanitarian aid, economic recovery, and enforcement against funding to entities linked to armed groups. The article says no date has yet been set for the pilot’s launch because the U.S. military must first train the Lebanese Army.