Lebanon asks the US “clear calendar” to implement framework agreement with Israel

Na meeting with Rubio in Washington, Salam highlighted the “importance of setting a clear timetable to implement the commitments provided for in the framework agreement, ensuring progress in the areas of Israeli withdrawal, extension of state authority and exclusivity of arms control”, according to a statement from the cabinet of the Lebanese Prime Minister.

At the same time, it requested the creation of a “reliable verification mechanism to oversee the implementation and ensure compliance with commitments, preventing the lack of application from being used as a pretext to block the process”.

The chief executive of Beirut stressed to the head of US diplomacy the need to move on to a “phase of activation of the tripartite mechanism and of translating the principles of reciprocity into practical measures and concrete results on the ground, leading to the recovery of Lebanon’s full sovereignty, the total withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territories and the monopoly of arms in the hands of the State throughout the territory.”.

In the framework agreement signed in June, Israel undertook to gradually withdraw its troops from the areas invaded in southern Lebanon, provided that the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah movement is disarmed in the context of the war.

However, on Sunday, the leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, reaffirmed that the group will not disarm until Israel's troops withdraw from the areas they occupy in southern Lebanon, within the framework of their ground offensive initiated after the war with the country began on 2 March.

The war in Lebanon broke out on March 2, after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with Iran following the US and Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic, which began on February 28.

The new conflict with Israel caused the death of more than 4,300 people in Lebanon and generated more than one million displaced persons.

After the meeting with Rubio, the Lebanese Prime Minister also stressed that the tripartite framework “is not limited to security agreements”, but also includes support for “aid, recovery and reconstruction, rehabilitation of basic infrastructure and services, as well as the creation of the necessary conditions for the return of displaced persons and their installation in the areas of origin”.

Salam thus took the opportunity to call for the mobilization of the United States (US) and the international community to support this return and recovery of the country, especially in areas affected by the war.

For his part, Rubio stated, according to the Lebanese statement, the “commitment of the United States to support Lebanon and its legitimate institutions, as well as to continue to support the Lebanese Army and strengthen its capabilities”, while “salienating the importance of advancing the implementation of the tripartite framework to achieve stability and security” in the region.