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U.S. Announces Trilateral Framework Agreement with Israel and Lebanon
(U.S. State Department) The governments of Israel and Lebanon, with the full support of the U.S., signed an agreement in Washington on June 26 in which "the two countries declare their ambition to end conflict between them, ensure the sovereignty and security of both countries, and establish peaceful neighborly relations between the two countries. Israel and Lebanon affirm the right of each state to exist in peace, and their mutual desire to live in security as neighboring sovereign states. Israel and Lebanon hereby declare their intent to conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and to therewith formally conclude any state of war between them." The two governments "commit to a reciprocal, sequenced process, with clear conditions, whereby the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) will restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups and dismantlement of associated infrastructure....The Framework will set out the requisite measures, security arrangements, and verification mechanisms to advance this process....The LAF will gradually assume full and effective security responsibility in pilot zones....Two initial zones have been agreed to by the IDF and the LAF." "The Government of Lebanon reaffirms its resolute and irreversible commitment to restoring and exercising full sovereignty over all its territory. The Government of Lebanon will rebuild the state's monopoly on the use of force, achieve the complete and verified disarmament of all non-state armed groups, and ensure that such groups will have no military or security role and no armed capabilities anywhere in Lebanon." "The Government of Israel stresses that its military actions in Lebanon are solely a consequence of the attacks, threat posed by, and hostile intent of non-state armed groups, particularly Hizbullah....The termination of this threat...will eliminate any future need for IDF military action or presence in Lebanon....The Government of Israel declares that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon." "The Government of Lebanon" recognizes "that any new U.S. assistance will be strictly conditioned on verifiable milestones, full transparency, demonstrated results, and ongoing oversight."