Israel and Lebanon sign US-mediated peace framework; Hormuz drone attack threatens US-Iran truce

The 14-point framework

After a fifth round of negotiations and five days of intensive talks, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement at the State Department in Washington. The 14-point document, drafted in English in three copies, declares an intention to “end the conflict definitively, address its root causes, and formally conclude any state of war” between the two neighbours. Both sides affirm each other’s right to exist in peace and commit to resolving all outstanding issues through direct bilateral negotiations with US mediation and support.

There is still a lot of work to do.

Disarmament and withdrawal

The core of the accord is a sequential process: the Lebanese Armed Forces are to restore effective sovereign authority over the entire territory, once the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups (Hezbollah) and the dismantling of associated infrastructure is completed. Israeli forces would then withdraw progressively from Lebanese territory. The specifics will be set out in a security annex. Two initial pilot zones have been agreed, one north of the Litani River and one south, where the Lebanese army will gradually assume full security responsibility and residents can return home. No start date has been fixed, because the US military must first train Lebanese units. The management of Hezbollah tunnels, curbing the group’s reinforcement, and launching land-border talks are also covered.

The most important thing is that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu described the negotiations as “a hard blow to Iran.”

Hezbollah rejects the deal

Hezbollah swiftly condemned the framework, calling it a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and insisting it is not binding on all Lebanese. The group reiterated its refusal to disarm. Israel responded that its forces will not withdraw from the south until Hezbollah is fully disarmed. The Lebanese government reaffirmed its “firm and irreversible” commitment to restoring the state’s monopoly on the use of force, while asking for international support, especially from Arab countries and Washington.

It undermines Lebanon’s sovereignty and is not binding; part of the Lebanese will reject it.

Hormuz flare-up

As the framework was being signed, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz erupted again. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had already struck the container ship Ever Lovely of Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine on Thursday, and on Friday they launched four attack drones at other vessels. Three were shot down; the fourth hit the upper deck of a large cargo ship, causing damage but not stopping its voyage. The Guards declared that passage through Hormuz is possible only along routes announced by Iran. US President Donald Trump denounced the attack as a “crazy violation of our ceasefire agreement” and, by evening, American forces struck targets in the Strait area. The incident threatens the 60-day US-Iran truce renewed on June 18. Separately, Italy’s mine-clearance mission, part of a European “coalition of the willing”, faces risks from thousands of drifting Iranian mines and the possibility of renewed hostilities, while NATO statements on base use have further raised the danger for Italian forces.

This is a crazy violation of our ceasefire agreement.