Israel And Lebanon Agree On Ceasefire, With Lebanese Army Pilot Zones In Place

Israel and Lebanon agreed on Wednesday, June 3, to the implementation of a ceasefire and the creation of pilot zones under the control of the Lebanese army, according to a joint statement issued after two days of talks in Washington.

“Watch Hezbollah Drone Attack on Merkava Tank near Shaqif Castle Speaker Berri receives a phone call from Macron: To solidify the ceasefire, ensure Israel’s withdrawal to the international border, deploy the Lebanese army, facilitate the return of residents to their towns, and pave the way for the launch of the reconstruction process Sheikh Naim Qassem: Israeli Enemy Has to Withdraw Completely from South Lebanon Watch Hezbollah Drone Attack on Merkava Tank near Shaqif Castle Speaker Berri receives a phone call from Macron: To solidify the ceasefire, ensure Israel’s withdrawal to the international border, deploy the Lebanese army, facilitate the return of residents to their towns, and pave the way for the launch of the reconstruction process Sheikh Naim Qassem: Israeli Enemy Has to Withdraw Completely from South Lebanon”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The truce was described as contingent on the complete halt of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani, with the text specifying that Beirut and Tel Aviv also announced their intention to accelerate the setting up of pilot zones in which the Lebanese army will exercise exclusive control over the territory.

Courrier international

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any attack on the Lebanese capital would trigger "a large-scale resumption of the war" in the region, while Al Jazeera's Washington correspondent Manuel Rapalo said the fact that Hezbollah is not part of the negotiation makes it an unpredictable element.

The ceasefire announcement came after new Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed at least 10, and after new attacks claimed by Hezbollah against Israel threatened to strike the southern suburbs of Beirut if attacked on its territory.

In Washington, the American president Donald Trump said he wanted to "separate" discussions on Lebanon from those on Iran, while Tehran replied that it was one and the same issue.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday his country’s full support for the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel and said France is "ready to move forward along this path" through the coordination mechanism with the United States to monitor implementation and verify commitments.

The European Union approved a new 100 million euro package to support the Lebanese army, with EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kalas emphasizing that "the best way to reduce the threat posed by Hezbollah is to strengthen the Lebanese state."

Euronews

In Beirut, Lebanese President Michel Aoun received French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and expressed hope that talks in Washington among the Lebanese, American, and Israeli delegations would yield "positive results that achieve a lasting ceasefire and end the Lebanese people’s suffering in general and the south’s in particular."

Aoun welcomed help from "sisterly and friendly" countries to stabilize the ceasefire and move to stages that include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories it occupied in the south, the deployment of the Lebanese army to the internationally recognized border, and an end to hostility between Lebanon and Israel.

The joint statement after the fourth round of talks did not specify the areas or the timelines for Israeli withdrawal or Hezbollah’s compliance with the provisions of the agreement, according to Euronews.

French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin stated on Wednesday that Paris demanded the immediate respect of the cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, and an end to violations against UNIFIL, while calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah.

“The Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri met with Le Drian to discuss the developments in Lebanon and the latest on the ground and in politics, as well as the bilateral relations between Beirut and Paris”

Euronews

Vautrin also said the Lebanese Shiite faction committed a "gravest error" by dragging the Cedar State into an armed conflict and ordered it to immediately cease all aggression against the State of Israel, as tensions persisted along the Blue Line.

According to official tallies from the Beirut authorities, Israeli military operations since March 2 have claimed more than 2,500 lives and forced more than one million residents to flee their homes, while the humanitarian situation remained dire in areas hit by bombardments.

On the preceding Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement between Israel and Lebanon to extend the cessation of hostilities for an additional three weeks after talks in Washington, D.C., as negotiations struggled to reach security guarantees.

In Lebanon, Al-Manar TV reported that Speaker Berri received a phone call from Macron to solidify the ceasefire by ensuring Israel’s withdrawal to the international border, deploying the Lebanese army, facilitating the return of residents to their towns, and paving the way for the launch of the reconstruction process.