US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed during their meeting in Washington on Monday how to move the trilateral framework between Lebanon and Israel from principles to implementation, as negotiations over the US-mediated plan stalled amid continued Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and disagreement over the sequence of Israel’s withdrawal and the state’s exclusive control of weapons.
The US State Department said Rubio had renewed the United States’ strong commitment to supporting Lebanon in implementing the trilateral framework, describing it as “the only way to achieve lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel”.
Salam calls for a timetable and verification mechanism
The US secretary also praised the Salam government’s efforts to extend state authority and reaffirmed Washington’s support for a sovereign Lebanese state free from the influence of Hezbollah and Iran, according to the department’s statement. Salam said he had discussed developments in Lebanon and the region with Rubio, as well as the path towards restoring full Lebanese sovereignty.
He stressed the need to move to the implementation phase of the trilateral framework and translate the principles of reciprocity and phased implementation into practical steps and tangible results on the ground, within a clear timetable. The Lebanese prime minister linked completion of the plan to a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, the extension of state authority and the state’s exclusive control of weapons across the country.
He said the framework was not limited to security arrangements, but also included support for recovery and reconstruction. After the meeting, he expressed hope for a “renewed partnership” with the United States aligned with the project of rebuilding the state and strengthening its legitimate institutions.
Salam also called for a credible verification mechanism to monitor implementation and ensure that the parties honoured their commitments. He stressed the importance of continued US assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is tasked with extending state authority and addressing the issue of weapons outside state institutions.
Trilateral framework links withdrawal to disarmament
Lebanon and Israel reached the framework in June, with US mediation. It provides for the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, alongside the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of the Lebanese army in areas from which Israeli forces withdraw. The plan designated areas known as “pilot areas” where these arrangements would initially be implemented in phases.
One of the main points of disagreement concerns the sequence of steps set out in the agreement. Lebanon wants the Israeli withdrawal to precede the other stages, while Israel wants Hezbollah disarmed first, contributing to the talks’ deadlock. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon, saying they targeted Hezbollah.
After the framework was approved, the United States helped facilitate further negotiations between the two sides. During a meeting in Rome, the parties discussed potential participants in a monitoring mechanism tasked with tracking the Lebanese army’s deployment in the designated areas and overseeing efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure and weapons.
The ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the United States also met at the US State Department’s headquarters in mid-September to discuss efforts to implement the framework, which aims to pave the way for a broader peace agreement. An official round of talks had been scheduled, but was postponed until October, according to a US State Department official.
Dispute over the sequence of steps and Hezbollah’s role
Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Programme on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute, said Israel had withdrawn from one of the “pilot areas” and Lebanon had deployed its army there. She said the next step lay with Lebanon, through disarming Hezbollah and dismantling its infrastructure before seeking any further Israeli withdrawal.
Ghaddar added that Lebanon had deployed the army but had not yet carried out the disarmament step. In her view, the sequence of implementation therefore required Lebanon to take action before demanding further Israeli withdrawals. Salam did not directly address Hezbollah’s disarmament or the dismantling of its infrastructure in his remarks, but spoke of placing weapons under state control and the “exclusivity of weapons”.
The researcher estimated that Iran-backed Hezbollah was now at between 10 and 20 per cent of its former strength, but said the issue went beyond military capabilities to deeper political questions, including the extent of the group’s continued presence within Lebanese state institutions. She said decisions relating to the issue “are not yet sovereign”.
Ghaddar said Washington had adopted a somewhat passive role, calling for a mechanism to verify implementation and the use of tools, including sanctions, to help curb Hezbollah’s influence within Lebanese institutions. Hezbollah, meanwhile, did not take part in negotiations on the framework, opposes direct negotiations with Israel and refuses to give up its weapons.
Economic track accompanies political efforts in Washington
Salam’s talks in Washington coincided with economic meetings held by Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who met International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva at the fund’s headquarters. Jaber said Beirut was seeking a new staff-level agreement with the international institution.
Lebanon signed a staff-level agreement with the IMF in April 2022 after entering an economic crisis following years of mismanagement and corruption, but implementation of the required reforms proceeded slowly. The fund said in September that the current government’s approval of amendments to the law on addressing banks’ conditions represented “an important step forward” in its strategy to reform the banking sector.
Bessent also stressed the importance of Lebanon making progress on fundamental financial-sector reforms to restore confidence in the banking system. The Lebanese delegation’s programme in Washington included expected talks with senior World Bank officials, alongside political and security efforts to advance implementation of the trilateral framework.
