Lebanon

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has begun a series of high-level meetings in Washington, holding talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as Beirut looks for US backing to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

With violence in south Lebanon significantly decreased since mid-June, UN peacekeepers there have returned to core functions such as protecting humanitarian aid and restoring critical infrastructure as families continue to return home. “The welcome reduction in violence allows our peacekeepers to do more of what we are here to do,”UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said in a press release on Thursday.

A US military delegation met with Lebanon’s army in Beirut to discuss the implementation of Israel’s withdrawal from a “pilot zone” in occupied territory, a Lebanese military official told AFP on Saturday. Under a framework agreement reached on June 26, Israel will gradually withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon where it has deployed troops to fight Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia movement.

The United States' Department of Justice on Friday released the full text of a trilateral framework agreed with Israel and Lebanon that aims to formally end decades of conflict, establish a path toward diplomatic relations, and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries.

Israel and Lebanon have signed a framework agreement in Washington after several days of negotiations brokered by the US. … Hezbollah is not party to Friday's agreement, and it is unclear whether it will agree to withdraw its fighters from the South Litani area in southern Lebanon.

Israel carried out deadly strikes in south Lebanon on Saturday and Hezbollah maintained it had the right to respond, hours after the United States announced a renewed ceasefire in fighting that had strained a fledgling deal with Iran.

The United States provided details of the 14-point memorandum of understanding it reached with Iran on Wednesday. Neither has released a physical copy, but a US official read out the text during a call with reporters on Wednesday. Iranian officials have yet to confirm the US version of the text.

The United Nations has again called for freedom of movement for its peacekeepers in Lebanon who continue to closely monitor developments in the south of the country, including in the wake of the recent provisional agreement signed by the United States and Iran.

Hezbollah on Tuesday urged Lebanese authorities to mend their relationship with the group’s backer Iran and benefit from Tehran’s support, days after Iran struck Israel in response to bombardment on south Beirut. Last week, Lebanon’s president and prime minister issued pointed calls for Tehran to stop interfering in their country’s affairs, after Hezbollah rejected a conditional ceasefire with Israel.

The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months since deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.