🇺🇸🇮🇱🇱🇧 Negotiators from the United States, Israel, and Lebanon have signed a trilateral framework agreement following the fifth round of diplomatic talks.
The negotiations focused on a U.S.-backed proposal under which Israeli forces would transfer part of the territory they currently control to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Before the talks, Lebanon demanded the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from its territory. Israel, meanwhile, insisted that any withdrawal must be conditional on the full disarmament of Hezbollah and guarantees that the group will not reestablish its military presence along the border.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as an important first step.
“This is the beginning of the beginning. There is a lot of work ahead. Today is the first step, and the first step is sometimes the hardest.”
