Beirut and Tel Aviv reach agreement - Israeli army withdraws partly from southern Lebanon

Under the deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from two areas within the buffer belt -- nearly 10km long -- that the IDF has created south of Lebanon. In these areas, Israeli troops will be replaced by members of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

These areas, according to the Israeli side, have already been cleared of Hezbollah's infrastructure. In some cases, this has included the complete destruction of Lebanese villages near the border, as the IDF claims Hezbollah used them for planning and carrying out attacks against Israel.

The Framework Agreement was reached on the fourth day of the fifth round of negotiations, brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. In this case, a small signing ceremony was organized in the U.S. State Department. Can.

The United States exerted pressure on both sides to reach an agreement by the end of the negotiations round Thursday, but it took additional time to narrow their differences.

Both Israel and Lebanon entered the fifth round of unhappy talks with the US following its decision last week to sign an agreement with Iran, which included a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Tel Aviv and Beirut argued that the memorandum of understanding undermined a key element of their direct negotiations, which the US specifically organised to limit Iran's influence on developments in Lebanon.

One source said this approach by the US prompted Israel to take a sharper stance in negotiations with Lebanon this week, significantly limiting areas from which it was willing to withdraw south of Lebanon.

On the other hand, Lebanon estimated it should take a stronger stance on talks with Israel to reject the perception that Iran has more impact on Lebanese territory than it actually does, sources said.

As a result, Lebanese negotiators presented maps for the proposed IDF withdrawal that included a broader attraction than what Israel was willing to accept at this stage, which was already very limited because of the political pressures facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah's government. /Telegraphy/