Israel and Lebanon expected to sign framework agreement

Israel and Lebanon plan to sign 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.
• One of those 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.

Behind the scenes: Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to try and solve final disagreements, a U.S. official said.

• Rubio joined the talks between the negotiating teams on Friday morning.