Israel and Lebanon sign first-step framework in U.S.-mediated talks

Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-mediated framework in Washington on Friday that would test whether Israeli forces can withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon while the Lebanese army moves in behind them. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the accord “the beginning of the beginning” and described it as the first step toward a broader peace process, not a final settlement.

The agreement came after four days of talks in the fifth round of direct negotiations between the two countries, which began in April 2026. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, signed the framework as Rubio presented it publicly. The wording of the deal was not released, but the terms called for “pilot” handovers in two areas, with Lebanese forces expected to take over as Israeli troops pull back.

Those two areas lie in or near Israel’s self-declared buffer zone in southern Lebanon, which Israeli officials say reaches about 10 kilometers, or 6 miles, into Lebanese territory. Even so, Israeli officials said any further withdrawal would depend on measurable progress by the Lebanese army in dismantling Hezbollah, and they made clear the pullback would not follow a fixed timetable.

The deal did not bring Hezbollah into the arrangement as a signatory. The latest round of fighting began on March 2, 2026, after Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran. Hezbollah officials have warned of civil war if the group is pressured to disarm.

Israel occupied much of southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000, then withdrew and left behind the U.N.-drawn Blue Line as the separation mark. After the October 2024 ceasefire, Israel still kept forces on five hilltops. Since then, Israeli operations have destroyed villages and infrastructure in the south, and about 1.2 million Lebanese have fled during the conflict. Lebanese officials say the goal remains Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory, while Israel says its buffer zone will stay in place until Hezbollah is disarmed.