Full story
Framework signed, division feared
A trilateral framework agreement signed in Washington, D.C. on Friday, June 26, 2026, between Lebanon and Israel under U.S. sponsorship, set out a path to end the conflict and allow Lebanon to reclaim sovereignty alongside a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
BBC reported the agreement came at the end of the fifth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under American mediation, and said it includes 14 provisions for a gradual, conditioned process toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement.
The BBC said the agreement’s disarmament clause requires the Lebanese army to regain actual security control after "verifying the disarmament of non‑state armed groups and dismantling their infrastructure," with implementation starting in two pilot regions.
Al-Jazeera Net said Israel insisted on linking its gradual withdrawal of its army from the south to the disarmament of Hezbollah, a condition that blocked the full return of Lebanese refugees to their homes despite a slowdown in the pace of Israeli attacks and ceasefire violations.
Al-Jazeera Net also said the agreement established a ceasefire in Lebanon starting on June 21, after which hundreds of thousands returned to their homes in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, while return to dozens of towns and villages near the border remained on hold.
Hezbollah rejects, officials respond
Hezbollah rejected the framework agreement, with its secretary-general Naïm Qassem saying in a press release on Saturday, June 27 that the "framework agreement in Washington is a humiliation and a surrender of sovereignty. This agreement does not exist."
BBC reported Qassem also rejected tying an Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament, saying the linkage "goes beyond all red lines and makes Lebanon a plaything in the hands of the Israeli enemy."
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the agreement, stressing that it is "the first step on the path to Lebanon regaining sovereignty over its territory in full," and BBC said Aoun thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for hosting the negotiations.
Al-Jazeera Net said Hezbollah’s stance against any relinquishment of its weapons put pressure on the Lebanese presidency and government, and it quoted Hezbollah describing the agreement as "nonexistent' and 'humiliating."
Al-Jazeera Net added that the Amal Movement and supporters in Beirut protested and blocked roads, while Amnesty International and five other human rights organizations warned the framework agreement "threatens to betray the victims of war crimes in Lebanon."
Implementation risks and next fights
Human Rights Watch and five other organizations said the framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26, 2026 threatens to betray victims of war crimes in Lebanon, warning that some parts appear aimed at preventing victims of grave international crimes from seeking justice before international bodies.
Human Rights Watch quoted Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, saying, "The victims of war crimes and other violations deserve justice," and it argued that any agreement that does not take those rights into account "will collapse under the weight of the impunity it breeds."
BBC said the agreement does not constitute a final peace treaty or an immediate Israeli withdrawal agreement, and it described it as a framework for a gradual, conditioned process that would lead to a comprehensive agreement if implemented.
Al-Jazeera Net said the agreement ties the realization of provisions, including the return of residents to areas Israel occupies, to the completion of Hezbollah's disarmament, a task analysts doubt the Lebanese state can accomplish.
Le Monde.fr reported that on Sunday, June 28 the Israeli army carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon, and it quoted Nabih Berri saying, "This agreement will not be adopted, and it will not be implemented in its current form," as Hezbollah said the group monitors and records ceasefire violations and reserves the right to defend its homeland and its people.
