Israel and Lebanon Sign Trilateral Framework Agreement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday hailed a trilateral framework agreement signed on Friday by Lebanon, Israel and the US aimed at achieving a peace deal between the two neighbouring countries.

Netanyahu called the US-brokered agreement a historic achievement that dealt a setback to Iran and Hezbollah, the prime minister said "Yesterday ... we achieved a historic deal for the state of Israel after direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a televised briefing. "This is a blow to Iran and Hezbollah".

The agreement, reached after five rounds of talks in Washington, includes a trial plan for Lebanese soldiers to take control of two areas held by Israel and a process to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the agreement "humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty" and warned that it could lead to the Israeli annexation of southern Lebanon.

"This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented," he said.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz insisted that the country's troops would be able to stay in Lebanon so long as Hezbollah remained armed.

He said he had instructed Israeli troops "to prepare for an extended stay" in southern Lebanon and that "there will be no redeployment by Israel in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the terrorist organisation Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon".

His prime minister, Netanyahu, reiterated that point in a televised briefing, saying that both the US and Lebanon "have recognised Israel's right to maintain a security zone inside Lebanon for as long as it remains necessary to safeguard our security."

According to the agreement, Israel and Lebanon "declare their intent to conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and to therewith formally conclude any state of war between them."

They also agreed to establish a process by which the Lebanese Armed Forces would restore "sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory," once the disarmament of Hezbollah has been secured.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun considered the agreement "a first step" to restoring his country's sovereignty.

In the meantime, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir denounced the US-facilitated agreement, claiming that the Lebanese government could not be trusted to disarm Hezbollah.

Writing on his Telegram channel Ben Gvir said "The agreement with Lebanon is a big mistake... Indeed, we are staying in most of the territory for now, but the state of Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah".

"Members of the Lebanese government are Hezbollah ministers, and Lebanon cannot be trusted to take Hezbollah's weapons ... Only IDF soldiers will destroy Hezbollah, no other party will do it for us."

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East war on 2 March with rocket fire aimed at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

In response, Israel sent heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion to Lebanon, destroying thousands of homes and other buildings and still occupying parts of southern Lebanon now.