Lebanese Prime Minister Calls on Rubio During Meeting to Activate Framework Agreement with Israel
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for the activation of the framework agreement signed between the Lebanese and Israeli governments during his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday.
The two countries signed a framework agreement on June 26 following five rounds of direct negotiations mediated by the United States. The agreement stipulated the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories in southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army starting in "pilot" areas.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese Army deployed in July in the town of Zaiter al-Gharbi after Israeli forces withdrew from its outskirts, and expanded its presence in the towns of Sareea and Faroun. However, no new areas were agreed upon for deployment.
According to a statement issued by Salam’s office, he emphasized "the necessity of moving to the implementation phase of the trilateral framework and translating the principles of reciprocity and gradualism into practical steps and tangible results on the ground, thereby leading to Lebanon’s full restoration of sovereignty, complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories, and monopolization of weapons by the state across its entire territory."
He stressed "the importance of establishing a clear timeline for implementing the commitments outlined in the framework, ensuring progress in the Israeli withdrawal, the extension of state authority, and the monopolization of weapons, alongside the creation of a reliable monitoring mechanism to follow up on implementation and verify compliance with pledges, thereby preventing non-implementation from being used as an excuse to derail the process."
The stagnation in implementing the agreement comes as a new round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel was postponed to October, after being originally scheduled for September.
The war in the Middle East, which began with a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, spread to Lebanon in early March, following Hezbollah’s launch of missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The pace of violence decreased after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June, and the Lebanese and Israeli governments signed the framework agreement. However, Israel continues to carry out attacks on southern Lebanon, as well as bombing and demolition operations in the towns it occupies.
Qasim stated that "all pressure on Lebanon today aims to achieve what Israel failed to accomplish over two years... They want the (Lebanese) Army to disarm Hezbollah."
Earlier, in mid-September, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa visited Zaiter al-Gharbi to "assess the situation on the ground and directly observe the progress made and existing challenges in the pilot areas," according to the embassy at the time.
