Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to renew their ceasefire and move forward with establishing pilot security zones in southern Lebanon, to be placed under the exclusive control of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as part of a US-backed effort to advance broader security arrangements between the two countries.
In a joint statement, the parties said they would “swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors.”
The initiative is intended to support progress toward a broader agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut: “These steps will enable progress toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” it said.
The statement also emphasized that decisions regarding relations between Israel and Lebanon should be made by their respective governments: “All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments. They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.” The language appeared to reference Iran, which supports Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Donald Trump said the United States is seeking to reduce Iran’s involvement in the Lebanon conflict: “We’re trying to separate Iran from the tensions in Lebanon.”
He also disclosed direct contact with Hezbollah: “We spoke with Hezbollah, we didn’t know they speak – actually we spoke with them for the first time. Yesterday, they agreed that they won’t shoot.”
The announcement came after continued tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Although there were reports that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck Lebanon after the ceasefire was announced, Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, which is not affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that Israeli airstrikes ceased immediately following publication of the joint ceasefire statement.
Before the ceasefire renewal was announced, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israeli forces would continue operating against threats in Lebanon. During a visit to the Haifa Naval Base on Wednesday, Zamir said, “there is no ceasefire for our forces.”
“We are working to maximize the freedom of action that has been granted to us and will seize every opportunity to remove threats to the citizens of Israel and to our forces,” he said, according to remarks released by the IDF.
Zamir’s statements were made prior to the announcement of the agreement.
