Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a full ceasefire, conditioned on Hezbollah ending its attacks and withdrawing its fighters from areas south of the Litani River, according to a joint statement issued by the US, Israel and Lebanon.
While the Islamist militia had already said that it would agree to a full ceasefire, heavy scepticism lingers regarding whether Hezbollah would formally accept the terms negotiated by the Israeli and Lebanese governments.
A full ceasefire carries great regional significance, as it has been one of the key demands Iranian officials have made as part of their negotiations with the US administration on an agreement for ending the war.
The breakthrough comes after a tense period of diplomacy, when US President Donald Trump reportedly pressed the Israeli premier on Monday to abandon plans for large-scale strikes on the Lebanese capital in response to Hezbollah missile and drone attacks, in an expletive laden phone call.
Following the call, Trump announced a new partial ceasefire in Lebanon that included an Israeli commitment not to attack Beirut in return for Hezbollah stopping attacks on Israeli towns along the border.
However, despite the announcement, Hezbollah has conducted several drone attacks against targets inside Israel over the past 48 hours.
The new agreement emerged after two days of talks at the US State Department, where American officials mediated direct negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese representatives.
Under the new framework, both Jerusalem and Beirut have agreed to establish a series of “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese Armed Forces will assume exclusive security control and ensure no Hezbollah activity.
In return, the IDF will withdraw its troops from designated zones.
“These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” the joint statement said.
The statement also emphasised that decisions regarding relations between Israel and Lebanon must remain in the hands of their respective governments.
“All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments,” it said.
Both parties further rejected efforts by any state or non-state actor to influence Lebanon’s future through force or coercion.
In the joint statement, Israel and Lebanon “reaffirmed that they have no hostile intent toward one another and are committed to continuing direct negotiations to build confidence, resolve all outstanding issues, and work toward a comprehensive agreement between the two countries.”
A new round of talks is set to take place in Washington on June 22, with officials from all three countries seeking to turn the ceasefire framework into a lasting, and comprehensive arrangement.
