Lebanon, Israel, US sign trilateral framework agreement in Washington
Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries.
The agreement — details of which were not announced in Washington — is the result of five rounds of talks in the U.S. capital aimed at ending decades of hostilities and weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The deal "begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the signing ceremony, while noting: "It's the beginning of the beginning. There's a lot of work ahead."
Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, said the accord "is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities (and) enabling our people to go back to their land."