Israel and Lebanon sign US-brokered framework agreement as Hezbollah rejects terms

The signing ceremony

Ambassadors Nada Hamadeh Moawad of Lebanon and Jechiel Leiter of Israel signed the accord in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also signed on behalf of the United States. The ceremony concluded the fifth round of direct talks that began in Washington in mid-April, the first such negotiations between the two neighbours in decades. Israel and Lebanon have no official diplomatic relations and remain formally at war since 1948. Rubio described the agreement as an initial move toward a permanent peace.

We are pleased to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and, of course, the government of Israel.

The United States mediated the talks and will continue to support the process. The framework is intended to lay the groundwork for a durable settlement, though neither side released detailed terms on Friday.

Sticking points and the fragile ceasefire

Israel demands the full disarmament of Hezbollah as a condition for withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon. A government spokesperson said on Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in the area as long as the Iran-backed militia posed a threat. Lebanon, for its part, wants a complete Israeli withdrawal from what it considers occupied territory, including a security zone that covers about 6 percent of Lebanese land. A ceasefire has been in effect since 19 June and has largely held after several earlier failed attempts, though it remains fragile. On Thursday evening, Israel's military said it had "eliminated" six Hezbollah members in two incidents inside the security zone.

Hezbollah's opposition

Hezbollah, which did not take part in the Washington talks, rejected the agreement and any normalisation with Israel. In a televised speech marking Ashura, the Shia leader Naim Qassem insisted that Israel had no option but to withdraw unconditionally.

Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land. Israel must leave unconditionally.

Qassem also framed the separate US-Iran framework agreement of mid-June as a defeat for both the United States and Israel. Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war on 2 March with rocket fire at Israel following the 28 February killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Since then, Lebanese authorities have been trying to keep their negotiation track separate from the broader Iran war talks.

Washington's role and next steps

The US-brokered framework is part of a wider diplomatic push that also produced a framework deal with Iran. The Lebanon-Israel arrangement is meant to solidify the existing ceasefire and build toward a full peace accord. While no timetable was announced, Rubio said the two nations "deserve" lasting peace. The next phase will test whether Hezbollah's rejection and the ongoing military presence in the south can be reconciled with a diplomatic track.