Lebanon and Israel sign US-brokered framework for partial IDF withdrawal; Hezbollah rejects deal and demands unconditional pullout

The framework explained

A 14-point framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel was signed on 26 June under US mediation in Washington. The document commits the Lebanese state to restore full sovereignty over its entire territory, disarming non‑state armed groups and their infrastructure. In exchange, Israel will begin a phased withdrawal from the ground it currently holds in the south. The mechanism relies on two “pilot zones” – one north of the Litani River and one south – where Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will assume total security control after non‑state militants are dismantled. US military officers will work on the ground with the LAF to verify the process.

Reactions in Beirut and Jerusalem

President Joseph Aoun described the agreement as a “first step” that should allow Lebanese citizens to return to their fully liberated land. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed in a video statement that Israeli troops will stay in a security zone inside southern Lebanon until Hezbollah surrenders its weapons. "The most important thing is that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. We will keep it as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed," Netanyahu said. Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter both signed the text; Leiter declared that “Iran is out, Hezbollah is out, and the path to peace is in.”

Hezbollah says no

Hezbollah rejected the accord through MP Hassan Fadlallah, who warned it “risks creating dangerous internal divisions” and accused Beirut of unilateral concessions that weaken the nation. Secretary‑General Naim Qassem went further: “No compromise that questions Lebanon’s sovereignty will be accepted,” he said in a televised speech, insisting Israel must leave without conditions. Qassem branded the broader US‑Iran understanding a “declaration of defeat for America and Israel” and urged Lebanon’s government to quit the Washington talks.

Violence persists despite ceasefire

A ceasefire declared on 17 April was never fully respected. On the same day the framework was signed, the Israeli military claimed it killed seven Hezbollah members near Manzala in southern Lebanon, saying they were transporting weapons to attack Israeli soldiers. The previous week saw a US‑Iran memorandum of understanding that called for an immediate and permanent halt to military operations on all fronts, but Israeli strikes against alleged Hezbollah targets have continued almost daily.

Regional backdrop

Iran’s Khatam al‑Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that the presence of Israeli military aircraft in the airspace of neighbouring countries on route to Iran constitutes a direct threat, and that if the US does not restrain Israel, Tehran “reserves the right to respond.” Separately, the PGSA authority in the Strait of Hormuz demanded that ships follow established routes after an unidentified projectile hit a cargo vessel, linking maritime security to the tense regional atmosphere.