{"id":7537,"date":"2026-06-27T16:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/27\/israel-lebanon-deal-ties-ceasefire-to-hezbollah-disarmament-will-it-work\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T16:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:35:21","slug":"israel-lebanon-deal-ties-ceasefire-to-hezbollah-disarmament-will-it-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/27\/israel-lebanon-deal-ties-ceasefire-to-hezbollah-disarmament-will-it-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel-Lebanon deal ties ceasefire to Hezbollah disarmament: Will it work?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Israel and Lebanon have agreed on a new framework agreement<\/a> after four days of marathon talks in Washington, DC, brokered by the United States, trying to end the months-long conflict.<\/p>\n

Israel has been occupying almost 20 percent of Lebanese territory in the south and has killed more than 4,000 people since fighting erupted on March 2. A previous bout of fighting ended in a ceasefire in November 2024, but Israel carried out almost daily attacks and refused to end its occupation in breach of the deal.<\/p>\n

The new deal, however, does not specifically call for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces and instead ties it to the disarmament of Hezbollah \u2013 a condition repeatedly rejected by the Iran-backed armed group.<\/p>\n

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Saturday rejected the framework agreement, calling it \u201cnull and void\u201d. Hezbollah has demanded that Israel first end its occupation.<\/p>\n

Hezbollah supporters flooded the streets of the capital, Beirut, on Friday evening to oppose the deal.<\/p>\n

So, what is the new agreement, which does not include Hezbollah, and can it lead to peace in Lebanon?<\/p>\n

\"US
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as State Department Counsellor Daniel Holler, Israel\u2019s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon\u2019s ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh, sign a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, at the State Department in Washington, DC, June 26, 2026 [Ken Cedeno\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s in the Israel-Lebanon agreement?<\/h2>\n

After the trilateral signing in Washington, the US Department of State released the text of the agreement, which talks of a \u201csequenced process\u201d that will see the Lebanese army restore \u201ceffective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups\u201d \u2013 a clear reference to Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

The deal does not mandate Israeli withdrawal from the fifth of Lebanese land it occupies. Instead, the framework notes that Israel shall \u201cprogressively redeploy\u201d out of Lebanon, offering two \u201cpilot zones\u201d where the Lebanese military \u201cwill gradually assume full and effective security responsibility\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne [pilot zone] is south of the Litani River and outside the security zone altogether, and the other is north of the Litani \u2013 a small area in the expanded security zone that we conquered in the last two weeks, and which the [Israeli military] says it does not need,\u201d Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Once these conditions are met, \u201cLebanese civilians will be able to safely return to these areas under the exclusive control of Lebanese state authorities,\u201d the framework says. More than 1.2 million people have been forcefully displaced.<\/p>\n

Israel says that successfully returning southern Lebanon to Lebanese government control would \u201celiminate any future need for [Israeli military] action or presence in Lebanon\u201d and \u201c[declared] that it has not territorial ambitions in Lebanon\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Lebanese government has signed that it rejects \u201cthe claims of any state or non-state actor to use force on its behalf without its explicit authorization,\u201d deeming such attacks \u201cillegal\u201d and \u201ccontrary to Lebanese national interests\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Hezbollah
Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in the southern suburbs of Beirut, with burning tyres to protest against the trilateral agreement that was signed between the US, Israel and Lebanon on June 27, 2026 [Ibrahim Amro\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How have parties to the conflict reacted to the agreement?<\/h2>\n

Israel<\/h3>\n

Netanyahu issued a video statement shortly after the agreement was announced, stressing that the framework would allow the Israeli military to remain in the occupied Lebanese land.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will maintain [the buffer zone] until Hezbollah disarms and as long as there is a threat to the State of Israel,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

It is also a partial, momentary win for Netanyahu, who faced intense domestic criticism after the US and Iran sidelined Israel to sign the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which mandates an end to hostilities in Lebanon as well.<\/p>\n

Lebanon<\/h3>\n

President Joseph Aoun expressed gratitude to Trump and other regional mediators after the signing of the trilateral agreement, which he hailed as \u201cthe first step on the path to restoring Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement from the Lebanese presidency, Aoun noted that the framework also \u201cmarks the beginning of the road to fructify [Lebanese citizens\u2019] sacrifices, so that they may return to their fully liberated land\u201d.<\/p>\n

His statement has done little to tamp down the tensions in the capital, where supporters of Hezbollah took to the streets, burning tyres and blocking a road leading to the airport.<\/p>\n

\"lebanon\"
People react, as they watch Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem deliver a televised speech on a giant screen at the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 17, 2026 [Mohamed Azakir\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hezbollah<\/h3>\n

Though the armed group is not a party to the agreement, and was not present at the negotiating table, its posture and actions will dictate where the conflict heads in the future.<\/p>\n

The Hezbollah leader on Saturday condemned proposals to tie the Israeli withdrawal to the group\u2019s disarmament. \u201cLinking the Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of the resistance throughout Lebanon is a very dangerous proposition that crosses all red lines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe framework agreement in Washington is humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that the framework agreement should be replaced by the Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding (\u2060MoU) signed on June 15.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah representative in the parliament, said Lebanese authorities would not be able to enforce the framework agreement unless, with US support, \u201cthey go to civil war\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a televised speech before the agreement was signed, Qassem said that Hezbollah would hold its weapons closer, ready to fight Israel for Lebanon, if the Lebanese state fails to do so.<\/p>\n

The Iran-US MOU called for the \u201cterritorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon\u201d \u2013 a similar wording has been used in the framework agreement.<\/p>\n

United States<\/h3>\n

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Washington\u2019s point person in Israel and Lebanon talks, announced an \u201cimmediate\u201d $100m donation by the US towards humanitarian assistance in coordination with the UN.<\/p>\n

At the signing ceremony at the State Department in Washington, Rubio appeared to acknowledge the limited scope of the agreement, calling it \u201cthe beginning of the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work ahead. We don\u2019t in any way underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead, but we understand the importance of it, how vital it is, and we are honored to have played a part in bringing this together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Two previous ceasefire agreements brokered by Washington failed to stop the fighting in Lebanon, as well as the Islamabad MOU, signed by President Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/h3>\n

Though Tehran is yet to officially react to the agreement, its state media has been pressing against the deal.<\/p>\n

Fars news agency noted that the agreement is essentially the US permitting Israel to violate the first clause of the Islamabad MOU, which mandated the cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Does the Israel-Lebanon agreement contradict the Islamabad MOU?<\/h2>\n

Analysts point towards two direct contradictions between the preliminary deal signed by the US and Iran, and the latest agreement between Israel and Lebanon.<\/p>\n

In short, the Islamabad MOU mandates the end of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, with no conditions \u2013 while the Israel-Lebanon agreement ties it to Hezbollah\u2019s disarmament.<\/p>\n

Israel has not adhered to any of the ceasefire agreements, including earlier ones, and continued with its assault on Lebanese territories. On Saturday, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that the Farah amusement park intersection in Nabatieh al-Fawqa was targeted by an Israeli drone strike.<\/p>\n

Israel has killed at least 4,192 people in Lebanon since the start of the war on Iran four months ago.<\/p>\n

Secondly, the Islamabad MOU does not refer to or mention any of the Iran-backed proxy armed groups among its listed clauses to take forward the negotiations to end the war.<\/p>\n

Tahani Mustafa, a visiting fellow on the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that Israel and Washington would \u201cdefinitely use the fact that Hezbollah refuses to disarm and capitulate to blame Hezbollah for derailing the entire process\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mustafa further added that Israel \u201chas also proven that it is acting in bad faith, which really gives no confidence to Hezbollah to disarm or capitulate in the way that is being demanded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Washington is not blame-free either, she noted, arguing that \u201cthe American negotiators actively work behind the scenes to try and decouple Lebanon and Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has really just been something that both the Israelis and the Americans have attempted to cook up behind the scenes and once again obfuscating the blame for its failure,\u201d she told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\"lebanon\"
Mourners put wreaths on the grave during the funeral of Israeli soldier Alexander Filin, who, according to the Israeli army, was wounded and later died in an explosive attack by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, in Haifa, Israel, June 21, 2026 [Shir Torem\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can a deal work if Hezbollah rejects?<\/h2>\n

This is not the first time that Hezbollah\u2019s disarmament is on the table \u2013 and the existing challenges remain. The 2024 deal also called for Hezbollah\u2019s disarmament, but it could not be achieved as Israel continued to attack Lebanon and refused to withdraw its troops in breach of the deal.<\/p>\n

Alon Pinkas, an Israeli former ambassador and consul general in New York, says he is \u201cvery doubtful and sceptical\u201d that this will work out because the deal is between Israel and Lebanon with the US; the issue here is Hezbollah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s linking of the Lebanon conflict to the maturation of an agreement with the US, Pinkas says, \u201ccomplicates things [because] Netanyahu said that [Israel] would not yield to any linkage to Iran and that Israel would defend itself in Lebanon\u201d.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s Ali Hashem said that the agreement is an \u201cexistential threat\u201d to Hezbollah\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout Hezbollah\u2019s consent, this is not going to happen,\u201d Hashem said. \u201cThis is going to be a recipe for another confrontation. The Lebanese government isn\u2019t capable of imposing this deal. It\u2019s not the de facto force on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Israel and Lebanon have agreed on a new framework agreement after four days of marathon talks in Washington, DC, brokered by the United States, trying to end the months-long conflict. Israel has been occupying almost 20 percent of Lebanese territory in the south and has killed more than 4,000 people since fighting erupted on March … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}