Israel, Lebanon reach framework deal for slight IDF withdrawal; signing to begin shortly

Israel and Lebanon have reached a framework agreement for the IDF to begin partially withdrawing from southern Lebanon, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

Israeli forces will pull out of two areas located inside the six-mile-long buffer zone the IDF has established in southern Lebanon. The Israeli troops will be replaced by members of the Lebanese forces, the source says.

The areas have already been cleared by the IDF of Hezbollah infrastructure. In some cases, this has included Israel razing entire Lebanese villages to the ground on the border, with the IDF arguing that Hezbollah was using much of them to plan and carry out attacks against Israel.

The framework deal was reached in the fourth day of the fifth round of talks that the US has mediated between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. A small signing ceremony is set to begin momentarily at the State Department.

The US had been pushing the sides to reach an agreement on what was supposed to be the last day of this round on Thursday, but additional time was needed to close gaps between the sides.

Both Israel and Lebanon came into what was the fifth round of negotiations furious at the US for the latter’s decision to sign a deal with Iran last week that included a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Jerusalem and Beirut argued that the memorandum of understanding undercut a key element of their direct talks, which the US specifically established to try and prevent Iran from having a say on affairs in Lebanon.

The US conduct led Israel to initially harden its position in talks with Lebanon this week, significantly limiting the areas from southern Lebanon from which it said it was prepared to withdraw, the source said.

Lebanon, meanwhile, felt that it had to take a harder line in negotiations with Israel to counter the notion that Iran wields greater influence over affairs in Lebanese territory than it does, the sources said.

Accordingly, Lebanese negotiators presented maps for a proposed IDF withdrawal that were more expansive than what Israel was willing to accept at this stage, which was already very little due to the political pressures Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is facing, the source claimed.