Hezbollah rejects Israel-Lebanon pact as Israeli drones strike hours after Washington signing
A framework agreement signed in Washington to end hostilities between Israel and Lebanon was rejected outright by Hezbollah, and Israeli forces struck southern Lebanon within 24 hours.
A ceremony in Washington
On June 26, Israel and Lebanon signed a 14-point framework agreement in Washington, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio presiding. Rubio described the moment as "the beginning of the beginning," acknowledging the long road ahead. The ceremony was the product of several rounds of US-mediated talks.
It is the beginning of the beginning.
The terms of the deal
The text outlines a sequenced process: Israeli forces withdraw gradually from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army moves in, disarms non-state armed groups, and civilians return. Two pilot zones, one north and one south of the Litani River, are meant to test the arrangement. The United States will monitor the dismantling of militia infrastructure and mobilize international reconstruction aid.
Yet the accord's central demand, that the Lebanese state disarm Hezbollah, runs directly against the reality that the group, not the government, holds effective military power in the south. Hezbollah was not a party to the negotiations, absent from the signing but present in every clause that refers to "non-state armed groups."
- Israel and Lebanon sign the 14-point agreement in Washington. Marco Rubio calls it "the beginning of the beginning."
- Hezbollah declares the agreement null and rejects disarmament.
- Israeli drone strikes Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon less than 24 hours after the signing.
- Netanyahu states IDF will stay in the security zone until Hezbollah is completely disarmed and claims the axis with Iran is broken.
Immediate backlash
Within hours of the signing, Hezbollah denounced the agreement as humiliating and declared it null. The group said it would never hand over its weapons or abandon its positions. On June 27, an Israeli drone struck Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon. The IDF confirmed the hit, saying the target posed a threat to its forces.
The agreement is humiliating. We will not disarm and we will not withdraw from our military positions.
Netanyahu's strategic vision
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the deal as a strategic achievement, claiming it broke the "axis with Iran." He stressed that Israeli troops would remain in the security zone until Hezbollah is completely disarmed, effectively making withdrawal conditional on a process that shows no sign of starting. Netanyahu also stated that the IDF had already destroyed nearly all of Hezbollah's missile systems.
This agreement is a great strategic success, breaking the axis with Iran.
Fragile foundations
The agreement's fragility echoes the fate of a US-Iran memorandum signed just eight days earlier, which began to crumble within 24 hours. Critics note that the accord asks Lebanon to behave like a sovereign state with a monopoly on force, a monopoly it does not possess. The contradiction leaves the deal's implementation deeply uncertain and opens the door to fresh internal conflict.
