US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday joined the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States to announce a framework agreement aimed at paving the way for peace after months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The agreement, however, does not include Hezbollah and has already drawn a sharp warning from one of the group's officials, who said its implementation could trigger civil war in Lebanon.
According to the US State Department, the framework establishes a process to dismantle Hezbollah and restore Lebanese sovereignty over territory seized by Israeli forces during the fighting. Washington will also facilitate a newly established Military Coordination Group for Lebanon to oversee implementation of the agreement and provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance.
"For Lebanon, this framework provides a genuine pathway out of a long crisis," the State Department said. "For Israel, it creates a verifiable path to removing the persistent threat on its northern border."
The agreement was signed in Washington in Rubio's presence by Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
Leiter described the framework as a first step towards normal relations between the two countries.
"Our language is we want to embrace Lebanon," he said. "We want to get in our car in Tel Aviv and drive to Beirut, and we want people from Beirut to drive to Tel Aviv. That's where we want to go."
He said such a future depended on Hezbollah being disarmed and dismantled, enabling Israel to withdraw and allowing Lebanon to regain full sovereignty.
"It really depends on the Lebanese army," Leiter said. "It depends on the support the Lebanese army receives from the US, and we believe that support will be strong."
Moawad described the framework as "a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to return to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security and prosperity".
The latest round of fighting began after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the US launched military operations against Iran on 28 February. Israel subsequently invaded parts of Lebanon and expanded its military presence there.
Since March, more than 4,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, while at least 37 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon or northern Israel.
Lebanese officials have insisted that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon remains their top priority in the negotiations, while Israel has focused on securing Hezbollah's disarmament.
The Israel-Lebanon negotiations are separate from the interim agreement signed last week between the US and Iran to halt hostilities. That accord provides a 60-day period for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Iran's nuclear programme, which Western governments fear could be used for military purposes, an allegation Tehran denies.
Lebanon has pursued direct talks with Israel rather than allowing Iran to negotiate on its behalf. Hezbollah did not participate in the negotiations, despite several earlier ceasefire agreements that ultimately failed to take effect.
The group has repeatedly rejected calls for nationwide disarmament, maintaining that previous agreements and UN resolutions require it to disarm only south of the Litani River near the Israeli border.
Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, reiterated that position in an interview with Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen television, saying the group opposed Lebanon's direct negotiations with Israel and would not surrender its weapons.
He warned that Lebanese authorities "will not be able to enforce the agreement signed in Washington unless they go, with American support, to civil war". Fadlallah also described the agreement as "an attempt to derail the Islamabad process", referring to the ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the agreement seeks to secure a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, restore state sovereignty and facilitate the return of displaced residents.
Under the framework, Lebanon is committed to extending the authority of the state, through its armed forces, across the entire country.
President Joseph Aoun said earlier this week that proposals for "pilot zones"—areas where the Lebanese army would assume exclusive control as Israeli troops withdraw—remain under discussion, pending Israeli approval.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the negotiations also cover the redeployment of Israeli forces after southern Lebanon has been cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure and the group has disarmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the framework as "a great achievement" for Israel.
"The most important thing is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon," he said. "We will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not been disarmed and continues to pose a threat to the State of Israel."
Netanyahu added that Israel had begun allowing the Lebanese army to prepare to assume control of territory while the Israeli military establishes two pilot zones.
He said part of the area lies within the expanded security zone established during the past two weeks, while Israel intends to maintain its original security zone beyond the range of anti-tank missiles.