Lebanon-Israel deal faces Hezbollah rejection

Shafaq News- Washington/ Beirut (Updated at 23:00)

Lebanon and Israel reached a US-mediated framework agreement after talks in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday, calling it “the beginning of the beginning” though “a long road” remains ahead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would allow the Lebanese army to begin taking control of two “pilot” areas in southern Lebanon, one outside the security belt and another in an expanded area the Israeli military does not want to hold, but said Israeli forces would remain there until Hezbollah is “disarmed.”

The framework is a “major achievement” for Israel and a “strong blow” to Iran, Netanyahu claimed.

The far-right premier, wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, also said Israel would not allow Lebanese residents or Hezbollah to return to the security belt.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun hailed the framework as “the first step” toward restoring the state’s full sovereignty, with the agreement paving the way for displaced residents to return to their homes under a Lebanese state with “exclusive sovereignty over its land and people.”

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah, meanwhile, rejected the framework, warning that direct negotiations with Israel undermine Lebanese sovereignty and risk internal divisions.

Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, stated that the Lebanese government lacked the constitutional and political authority to impose the Washington agreement, describing it as a “gift” to Israel that would have no effect on the ground. He warned that Hezbollah would oppose any attempt to implement the deal and “hold more firmly to [its] weapons.”