U.S.-Backed Draft Declaration Sets Israel-Lebanon Negotiations, Hezbollah Weapons and UNIFIL End Date

A preliminary draft of a “Declaration of Intent” between Israel and Lebanon, described as sponsored and supported by the United States, was reported by Al-Mudun as covering negotiations beyond stopping the war and withdrawal.

“NEGOTIATIONS L’Orient-Le Jour reveals the draft declaration of intent between Israel and Lebanon The upcoming rounds of negotiations include a political track, whose second session will take place in June, and a security track — the central component of the talks — which will begin on May 29”

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The draft text says Israel and Lebanon would affirm “their joint commitment to achieving a comprehensive agreement that ends the conflict between them and establishes stable and peaceful relations,” while restoring “complete Lebanese sovereignty over all Lebanese territories.”

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It also links security arrangements in southern Lebanon to the future of Hezbollah’s weapons and to the deployment and role of the Lebanese army, while reconstruction and the return of displaced persons are described as tied to direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

The draft further states that the United States and its international partners would support a program to train and equip the Lebanese army, and that UNIFIL’s mandate “will end on December 31, 2026” with the UN Secretary-General exploring options by June 1, 2026.

L’Orient-Le Jour, in a separate report, said the upcoming rounds include a political track with a second session in June and a security track beginning on May 29, after a U.S. State Department statement following two days of direct negotiations provided no details.

In the Qasmiyeh neighborhood, the Israeli army targeted the Qasmiyeh Bridge on the coastal highway with an air strike “this afternoon,” after Israel threatened to strike it and created “a state of tension and caution” in the area of the bridges connecting the Litani region to Tyre and Sidon.

Civil Defense youths affiliated with the Islamic Scout Movement directed passersby not to cross, while a gathering of Arab and foreign journalists convened to document the scene as the army redeployed and UNIFIL evacuated the checkpoint from the mentioned bridge.

وكالة صدى نيوز

The Director General of Civil Defense, Brig. Gen. Emad Khreis, called Editor-in-Chief Joseph al-Qasifi and told him that Civil Defense had received repeated Israeli threats to bomb the Qasmiyeh Bridge.

Khreis asked al-Qasifi to instruct journalists and photographers to “take utmost caution and stay as far as possible from the threatened bombing zone to protect their safety.”

The report also places the Civil Defense headquarters address in Beirut, Lebanon at “J1 Building, Tallet el Khayat, Beirut, Lebanon.”

The draft declaration described by Al-Mudun frames southern Lebanon’s future around disarmament of Hezbollah and Lebanese army control, with Israel proposing conditions and guarantees related to the security situation in southern Lebanon.

“SadaNews - The Lebanese newspaper Al-Mudun reported today, Saturday, that it obtained a preliminary draft of what it described as the items discussed during the negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, sponsored and supported by the United States”

وكالة صدى نيوز

In the draft’s numbered terms, Israel would “hand over all occupied Lebanese territories to the Lebanese armed forces,” which would assume full security responsibility “coinciding with reconstruction efforts,” so returned displaced Lebanese citizens could return safely to a reconstructed southern Lebanon.

The same draft says the two countries, with support from the United States, would agree on “practical models and timelines for this process,” and that the United States and its international partners would support reconstruction, reforming infrastructure, restoring the economy, and creating opportunities for prosperity.

L’Orient-Le Jour’s account of the negotiations said Israel’s objective was not limited to ending the war and withdrawing, but also aimed at securing security guarantees, defining the status of the Lebanese Army, and shaping the future of southern Lebanon contingent on Hezbollah’s disarmament and control by the Lebanese Army.

Together, the reported timeline for talks—May 29 for the security track and a June second session for the political track—runs alongside the draft’s stated UNIFIL end date of December 31, 2026 and the UN Secretary-General’s June 1, 2026 exploration of security assistance and monitoring options.