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Israel and Lebanon reached a ceasefire agreement to end the devastating conflict with Hezbollah, after more than a year of cross-border clashes escalated into full-scale war over the past three months.
The truce is expected to halt Israel's ground invasion and air strikes, as well as Hezbollah's attacks on Israel.
But what is in the agreement?
The ceasefire
The terms involve a 60-day truce, during which Israel would have to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in a “phased manner”. This would coincide with the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters from the border, and the arrival of Lebanese Army troops.
Lebanon would increase the number of its troops in the south to 10,000, and would instruct security forces, including the army, to “monitor and enforce measures preventing unregulated entry of arms and related materials into Lebanon, including through all border crossings”, according to an initial document seen by The National.
The US would work with the international community to support the Lebanese Army “as appropriate, to achieve such an increase in its deployment levels in Lebanon and to improve its capabilities”, the document reads.
The Lebanese Army would also “monitor and enforce any unregulated facilities involved in the production of arms and related material, dismantle all existing such facilities” and “dismantle all infrastructure inconsistent with these commitments and confiscate all unregulated arms”.
Recent discussions focused on the Lebanese Army's capacity to station sufficient forces south of the Litani River and secure the border, given its limited resources, and the willingness of partners to assist, along with logistical details of how quickly Israel would commit to the ceasefire and withdraw its troops, which have advanced several kilometres into Lebanon.
The committee
To ensure the ceasefire is observed, Israel, Lebanon and the US will establish an “independent monitoring and enforcement mechanism”. This would take the form of a US-led committee including UN peacekeepers and representatives of Israel, Lebanon and France.
“As described in the commitments, the United States is prepared to share the independent monitoring and enforcement mechanism and to designate a senior officer of US Central Command and a senior national security official to serve in that role,” the document reads.
Lebanese officials told The National that recent talks had focused on determining the committee's working mechanism, its limits and the scope of its powers.
The committee would “develop procedures and measures, including the inspection or other measures as appropriate, to recommend for action by participating members in order to verify and enforce compliance with the commitments”, the document reads.
It will also be prepared “to impose consequences for violations, including by imposing financial sanctions and incentives and diplomatic measures as appropriate in order to advance the implementation of the cessation of hostilities and related commitments”.
The 'self-defence' clause
Negotiations entered their critical stage last week, with the main point of contention being the interpretation of a clause on “self-defence”, sources told The National.
“There was a key clause related to the right of both sides to self-defence,” one source said.
Officials in Lebanon firmly rejected any clause that Israel could use to breach Lebanese sovereignty, including its airspace, as it has done in recent years. Senior Israeli officials have demanded the right to act against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire is agreed.
One solution that was proposed to address the issue was for Israel to be able to lodge complaints with the committee, which would then relay them to the Lebanese Army and UN peacekeepers and set a deadline for action before Israel can intervene, sources told The National.
