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U.S. Holds the Line on Hizbullah
(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - The U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon Trilateral Framework signed Friday tries to box Iran out, focusing on disarming Hizbullah, Tehran's Lebanese Shiite proxy. Lebanon's government has reaffirmed that Hizbullah's disarmament must come first. Some Iran analysts have criticized the framework as "incompatible" with the memorandum of understanding with Iran. But Trump Administration sources tell us this framework is the U.S. interpretation of the MoU's language regarding Lebanon. On this, Vice President Vance backs Secretary of State Rubio; nobody on the Trump team wants to force Israel to cede all of southern Lebanon to Iran's proxy, as Iran demands. The framework states a reasonable desire by Israel to stop years of rocket fire on its northern towns. That means a buffer zone and defensive strikes until Hizbullah can be disarmed. Israeli officials say the deal's security annex doesn't contradict their freedom of action against emerging and developing threats. In any event, the deal shores up the diplomatic basis for Israeli counterterrorism. On Sunday, the IDF blew up a Hizbullah tunnel complex that served as a drone factory and air base, guarded by steel blast doors that opened for launches. Hizbullah wants to turn Lebanon into Gaza. The Trilateral Framework gives Beirut and Israel the best chance in years to prevent that.