The governments of Israel and Lebanon agreed this Wednesday (3), in negotiations mediated by the United States in Washington, to renew a ceasefire that had been in force between the two parties since April and to move forward with the creation of security “pilot zones” in the south of Lebanese territory without the presence of the terrorist group Hezbollah, an ally of Iran.
The ceasefire renewal agreement was announced after the fourth round of negotiations between the Israeli and Lebanese parties at the American State Department. According to the agency EFEthe agreed plan foresees that the security zones will be under the exclusive control of the Lebanese Army and exclude all so-called “non-state actors”, in reference to Hezbollah. The terrorist group does not participate in the negotiations and opposes the process. The text states that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments.
The renewal of the ceasefire, however, is conditional on the total end of Hezbollah attacks against Israel and the withdrawal of its members from the areas located between the Litani River and the Israeli border. The parties stated that the creation of security zones should allow progress towards a broader peace and security agreement in the region.
The delegations that negotiated this Wednesday were led by the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon to the United States, Yechiel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh. Israel and Lebanon do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. The first round of talks, held on April 14, was considered the highest-level contact between the two countries since 1993.