NYT > U.S. > Politics
Complaint Seeks Disclosure of Pentagon’s Agreement With Scouting America
The Pentagon and the organization have given contradictory accounts of an agreement reached in February.
Center Left
Axios
Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement
Center Left
Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement on Friday after four days of negotiations in Washington, mediated by the Trump administration, Israeli and Lebanese officials told Axios. Why it matters: The signing is a significant diplomatic breakthrough, but it's unclear how much of it can be implemented as long as Hezbollah is still armed and influential in the country.Breaking it down: The framework agreement describes a path for a future peace agreement and includes immediate steps on the ground the parties will take.One such step is the launching of two "pilot projects" where the Israeli military is to withdraw from small areas it currently occupies and the Lebanese army is to deploy there.Israeli and U.S. officials said that U.S. military officers will be involved in working with the Lebanese army on the "pilot projects," mainly to verify these areas have no Hezbollah presence.One of the two areas is north of the Litani River and the other is to the south of it, two Israeli officials said.While the Israeli withdrawal is expected to be limited, it will be the first such move since Israel expanded its occupation of southern Lebanon during the war with Iran.State of play: A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has largely held since last Saturday, though Israel has conducted several strikes on what it claimed were immediate threats from Hezbollah.Driving the news: The agreement was signed by the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington and State Department counselor Dan Holler.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the signing ceremony at the State Department that "it is a good day" but stressed "there is a lot of work ahead."Behind the scenes: Rubio held calls on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to try to solve final disagreements, a U.S. official said. Rubio joined the talks between the negotiating teams on Friday morning.
