After two days of discussions in Washington, both sides agreed to continue negotiations, explore security arrangements along the border and strengthen state control in southern Lebanon.
Representational image showing destruction in Lebanon as Israel and Lebanon move forward with a US-mediated ceasefire framework and future security talks. (Reuters via ANI)
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire and resume political and security negotiations later this month, marking a rare point of convergence between the two neighbours amid continuing tensions along their shared border.
The agreement emerged after two days of intensive US-mediated discussions in Washington and comes amid continuing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Officials hope the latest understanding will help create conditions for a broader security arrangement and reduce the risk of further escalation along the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
Advertisement
According to a joint statement issued after the talks, the ceasefire remains contingent on “a complete cessation of Hizbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hizbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector”.
Advertisement
The diplomatic progress comes days after Israel signalled it could step up military operations in Lebanon, raising fears of a wider regional flare-up and casting uncertainty over other ongoing diplomatic efforts in the region, including talks involving Iran.
The two sides also agreed to reconvene political and security discussions during the week of June 22 “with a view toward reaching a comprehensive agreement”. The United States said it would continue facilitating communication between the parties in the interim.
One of the immediate outcomes of the talks was an agreement to advance the creation of pilot zones where the Lebanese Armed Forces would exercise exclusive control, excluding all non-state armed groups from those areas.
According to the statement, Israel and Lebanon agreed “to swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors”.
The statement did not specify a timeline for establishing the pilot zones.
The discussions also underscored the centrality of Hezbollah’s military presence in any future settlement.
Israel reiterated that its security concerns and territorial integrity could only be addressed through the disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of the group’s infrastructure across Lebanon.
“Israel reaffirmed that its security and respect for its territorial integrity can only be achieved through the disarmament of Hizbollah and the dismantlement of its infrastructure throughout Lebanon,” the statement said.
The declaration also stressed that the future of relations between the two countries should be determined by their elected governments.
“All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments. They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage,” it added.
For its part, Lebanon reaffirmed the importance of internationally recognised borders and the full implementation of the cessation of hostilities.
“Lebanon reaffirmed the necessity for mutual respect of internationally recognised borders, the urgent need for full implementation of the cessation of hostilities, underscoring the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty,” the statement said.
Lebanon also committed to strengthening the capabilities of its armed forces with American support to exercise effective control across the country.
The United States reiterated its intention to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and improve their operational capacity, saying stronger state institutions remain critical to ensuring sovereignty across Lebanese territory.
The statement further noted that discussions covered a broader security framework aimed at safeguarding the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of both Lebanon and Israel, including efforts to prevent the re-emergence of non-state armed groups.
The joint declaration also struck a common note on Iran, with the parties condemning actions they said continue to destabilise the region.
“All parties condemned Iran’s attacks on countries in the region, and ongoing activities that undermine stability throughout the Middle East, whether through support for proxies and all other acts of aggression,” the statement said.
Advertisement
