BEIRUT — A newly signed framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending months of conflict involving Hezbollah faces significant challenges, as the militant group’s leadership openly rejected the deal and doubts persist over its implementation.
On Friday in Washington, Lebanon and Israel inked the agreement without Hezbollah’s participation. The accord conditions Israel’s phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon on the full disarmament of Hezbollah, a demand the Iran-backed group has categorically refused. The deal outlines an initial Israeli pullback from two unspecified "pilot zones," with the Lebanese army assuming security responsibilities in these areas. Further redeployments and security arrangements are addressed in a confidential annex, details of which remain undisclosed.
Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Kassem condemned the agreement on Saturday, branding it a “humiliation” and dismissing the linkage between Israel’s withdrawal and the group’s disarmament as "very dangerous." Kassem reaffirmed Hezbollah’s stance that its resistance will continue until Israel leaves Lebanese territory. Following his remarks, Hezbollah supporters staged protests in Beirut. Hassan Fadlallah, a senior Hezbollah official, warned the accord could spark civil war, asserting the group’s unwillingness to relinquish arms or submit to Lebanese army authority in this context.
The Lebanese government has responded cautiously. Judge Ahmed Rami al-Hajj, the country’s top public prosecutor, instructed security agencies to take preventive measures against potential unrest. Meanwhile, the Lebanese state news agency reported an Israeli drone strike near Nabatiyeh, a city in southern Lebanon, on Saturday. The agency also confirmed that Israeli forces released six workers—three Lebanese and three Syrian—who had been detained near Ain Arab on Friday.
From Israel’s perspective, the agreement is a critical step toward ending decades of hostilities dating back to Israel’s establishment in 1948. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that the disarmament of Hezbollah nationwide is a prerequisite for any withdrawal of Israeli troops, stating that the military has been directed to prepare for an extended presence within the security zone until such conditions are met.
The deal’s scope is limited to Lebanon and Israel, and is distinct from a separate U.S.-Iran interim agreement signed earlier in June aimed at resolving broader regional tensions and the ongoing Iran war.
Public opinion remains divided both in Lebanon and Israel. Some Lebanese residents expressed a desire for lasting peace and endorsed the government’s decision, while others viewed the accord as legitimizing Israel's presence. In Israel, skepticism about the deal’s durability was voiced, with some observers doubting the Lebanese army’s ability to assert authority against Hezbollah’s entrenched influence.
The agreement also includes commitments by Lebanon and the United States to block financial support to non-state armed groups linked to Hezbollah and to prevent reconstruction funds from benefiting these entities, highlighting attempts to address the group’s external backing, reportedly involving billions of dollars from Iran over the past four decades.
The deal sets a framework for eventual normalization between Lebanon and Israel, contingent on Hezbollah’s disarmament, yet the entrenched positions and on-the-ground realities pose considerable obstacles to its successful implementation.