The , the and the signed today in Washington a tripartite framework for the ceasefire in Lebanon which was reached after intensive talks in the American capital.
According to what was announced, negotiators from the United States, Israel and Lebanon signed a tripartite framework agreement, following the fifth round of diplomatic talks.
The negotiations discussed, among other things, a US-backed proposal to hand over some of the territory still held by the Israeli army to the Lebanese army.
Prior to the start of the talks, Lebanon was demanding the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese soil. For its part, Israel has insisted that any withdrawal should be contingent on the complete disarmament of Hezbollah and guarantees that the group will not reestablish a military presence along the border.
“It’s the beginning of the beginning,” Marco Rubio said at the signing ceremony. “There is a lot of work ahead of us. Today the first step was taken. And the first step is often the hardest.” The content of the agreement was not disclosed, but the stated goal is to pave the way for “sustainable peace and security,” as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Earlier Hezbollah and Israel had “crossed” their swords threatening escalation
Earlier, the situation in Lebanon smelled of gunpowder as Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem had demanded in a speech the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Israel from the territories it still controls, while Israel had reportedly issued evacuation orders in southern Lebanon for the first time since a cease-fire agreement was signed under the US-Iran memorandum.
More specifically, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah had argued that Israel “has no other choice” but to unconditionally withdraw from every bit of Lebanese territory it still controls.
In a televised address to tens of thousands of supporters, on the occasion of the Shia religious holiday of Ashura, he stressed that there can be no form of “normalization” or partial presence of Israeli forces in Lebanon.
For their part, Israeli forces reportedly dropped evacuation leaflets over a town in southern Lebanon, calling on residents to leave the area.
According to the same sources, this is the first such warning since the truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into force.
