DaysofPal- Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-brokered framework agreement on Friday following a new round of direct negotiations held in Washington.
The agreement was signed by Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and Israel’s Ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, in the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington described the agreement as a first step toward restoring Lebanese sovereignty, enabling the Lebanese people to return to their lands.
She said the agreement was reached after a long and difficult meeting between the two sides and praised the United States for its efforts in facilitating the negotiations.
For his part, Rubio said the agreement represents an important first step following intensive negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, adding that it lays the groundwork for “a framework for lasting peace and security.”
He also expressed hope that further progress would be made in the remaining negotiations between Lebanon and Israel “to achieve a ceasefire and peace between the two peoples.”
In a related development, Al Jazeera’s correspondent, citing a Lebanese official, reported that the two sides had agreed on two occupied pilot areas from which Israeli forces would withdraw according to a phased timetable.
The negotiations aim to consolidate the ceasefire in Lebanon amid a U.S.-drafted declaration of principles between the two sides and to begin discussions on implementing what Israel refers to as “pilot areas.”
Earlier, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli and Lebanese negotiating teams would determine during the talks which pilot areas would be transferred to the Lebanese Army, adding that the Israeli military would carry out a partial withdrawal from the Yellow Line.
The latest round of U.S.-mediated negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel began on Tuesday against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire and official Israeli statements reaffirming Tel Aviv’s refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
The current negotiations follow an earlier series of direct U.S.-brokered talks launched in April as part of a broader negotiating process aimed at reaching a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
They also come just days after talks held in Switzerland between Tehran and Washington, during which the war in Lebanon was among the top items on the agenda.
The Lebanese side was represented by both security and political delegations, while Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad signed the agreement on behalf of Lebanon.
Israel was likewise represented by security and political delegations, with Ambassador Yechiel Leiter signing the agreement on its behalf.
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