Special Report: Lebanon's Framework at Four Months — Zero Zones Certified
The June 26 U.S.-Israel-Lebanon deal promised Hezbollah's disarmament in exchange for phased Israeli withdrawal. Four months later, no pilot zone has been certified, the Tampa talks ended without a verification deal, and Israel is choosing a new prime minister. Here is the scoreboard.
By Clara Hughes
When the United States, Israel and Lebanon signed their framework agreement on June 26, it was billed as the most hopeful political step between Beirut and Jerusalem in more than forty years. The bargain was simple on paper: Lebanon's army disarms Hezbollah and takes real control of the south, and Israel withdraws in phases, with reconstruction to follow. Four months on, implementation has stalled. "None of the initial implementation 'pilot zones' has been certified," and military talks at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa on October 20–22 "were inconclusive, with no agreements reached on the verification process," Brig. Gen. (Res.) Assaf Orion, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces' strategic planning division, wrote in a November 3 analysis for The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Meanwhile, Israeli operations in southern Lebanon continue, and on Saturday Israeli President Isaac Herzog chose opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to try to form Israel's next government, according to The Guardian — a political reset that may shape the framework's next phase. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: the