US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday (local time) that the United States had brokered a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon designed to promote “lasting peace and security”.
Under the agreement, a ceasefire would take effect if Hezbollah halts all attacks and withdraws from southern Lebanon. The US State Department released the text of the agreement that was finalised earlier in Washington, DC, reported Al Jazeera.
According to the second provision of the agreement, the governments of Israel and Lebanon “commit to a reciprocal, sequences process” under which the Lebanese military “will restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory”.
The agreement states that this process depends on “the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups and dismantlement of associated infrastructure, enabling the [Israeli army] to progressively redeploy out of the territory”.
What did Rubio say?
In a post on X, the Department of State quoted Rubio as saying, “SECRETARY : We’re happy to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and the government of Israel, with the mediation and support of the United States of America.”
According to Fox News, Rubio mentioned rebuilding trust and stability would require significant effort and time, but described the agreement as the first and most difficult step toward that goal. He added that Israel’s people deserve to live in peace and security.
“The people of northern Israel in particular, who have been targeted repeatedly by terrorist attacks launched from the territory of Lebanon, but not by the Lebanese people, not by the Lebanese government, but by an outside actor who has sought to use that territory to target innocent civilians who have been unable to live in these places for a long time,” he added.
Rubio said the constant threat of attacks had repeatedly disrupted everyday life, forcing people to interrupt school, work, and other activities to seek shelter in bunkers or basements. He described the agreement as the start of a long and challenging process, acknowledging that much work remained while stressing its importance. Rubio noted that the United States was honoured to have helped bring the agreement together.
Israel, Lebanon react
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, expressed appreciation to the leaders for convening the talks.
“This was a long and difficult meeting. We are grateful to the host and to the two delegations for their cooperation during these talks. This milestone was made possible through the leadership of President Aoun, the tenacity of Prime Minister Salam, the resilience of Ambassador Karam, and the patriotism of the Lebanese armed forces. Thank you all so much,” she stated.
Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said the discussions had helped move forward a significant and historic process.
“Your excellencies, ambassadors, Mr. Secretary, I want to first express my appreciation to Secretary Rubio and his incredible team. Under his leadership, we’ve advanced President Trump’s vision of peace and security, of peace through strength. We’ve advanced a historical and important process forward. In my opening remarks four days ago, I expressed concern that this train was running off the tracks, that Iran and its proxies wanted a train wreck,” he mentioned.
“Well, with a lot of hard work under your leadership, Dan, together with Secretary Rubio and his entire staff, indefatigable team, we’ve put the train back on the tracks and it’s running in the right direction,” he further said.
Leiter credited the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for their sacrifices in confronting Iran’s proxies. He said the agreement would not have been possible without the resilience of the Israeli people, particularly residents of the northern Galilee, who had remained steadfast despite attacks by Hezbollah.
He also paid tribute to the men and women of the IDF, describing them as the true heroes whose selfless service had helped defend Israel, while noting that many had lost their lives in the fight against Iran and its proxies.
