Lebanon and Israel agree on peace deal

TT

Updated 22.40 | Published 19.50

 

Israel and Lebanese ambassadors to the US, Yeichel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh, sign the agreement described as a first step towards a peace settlement between the countries. Photo: Kevin Wolf/AP/TT

Lebanon and Israel have agreed on an agreement that will pave the way for peace and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in southern Lebanon.

But according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel will remain in the country “as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed”.

Hezbollah rejects the deal.

According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, it is a first step towards peace in the form of a “framework agreement”.

– It is the beginning of the beginning. Much work remains, Rubio said at a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Al Jazeera reported.

Direct talks between the countries began in April with the United States acting as mediator. Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, signed the agreement.

Remaining along the border

According to Israeli media, Israeli forces will withdraw from parts of southern Lebanon and be replaced by Lebanese forces in two areas. According to the agreement, Lebanon has also committed to countering Iran's influence in the country, which Iran has had through the Shiite militia Hezbollah.

- Most importantly, first and foremost, is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon. This is a great achievement, and we will remain as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed, Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Hassan Fadlallah, a political representative of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and a member of Lebanon's parliament, dismissed the agreement in a comment. He said the Lebanese government would not succeed in pushing through the deal "without, with American support, moving towards civil war," AFP writes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a comment that the goal of the agreement is "Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese territory," the restoration of the Lebanese state's sovereignty, the return of displaced Lebanese to their homes, and the reconstruction of the country.

Ceasefire violations

The Israeli military launched an offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in early March, following Hezbollah's attacks on Israel in response to the Iran-Iraq war.

A formal ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Lebanon since mid-April. Last week, Israel and Hezbollah also agreed to a ceasefire. Hezbollah has not participated in the talks in Washington.

Despite these agreements, Israeli attacks on targets in Lebanon have continued, while Hezbollah has in turn attacked Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Also in the past week, Hezbollah has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire.