Israel, Lebanon and the United States have signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at easing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking what officials described as the first step towards a broader peace deal after months of fighting involving Hezbollah.
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The agreement follows four days of negotiations in Washington and comes days after the 60-day ceasefire window began. Under the framework, Israel will withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese Armed Forces taking control of those locations as part of a pilot security arrangement, CNN reported.
The framework agreement was signed by Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and US State Department Chief of Staff Dan Holler
Speaking at the signing ceremony, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as an important breakthrough but cautioned that significant challenges still lie ahead.
"Today is the beginning of the beginning. There's a lot of work ahead. We don't, in any way, underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead. But we understand the importance of it, how vital it is. And we are honoured to play a part in bringing this together," Rubio said.
