Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on 27 June 2025 hailed a newly signed Lebanon-Israel framework agreement in Washington as the first step toward restoring Lebanon's full sovereignty, while Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah flatly rejected the deal and vowed armed resistance to any attempt at its implementation.

What the Agreement Covers

The framework, announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after talks in Washington, aims to resolve longstanding territorial and security disputes between Israel and Lebanon. According to Israel's state-owned Kan TV News, the deal includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from two areas in southern Lebanon as part of a pilot programme. The parties also agreed on a mechanism to address Hezbollah's tunnel network in southern Lebanon and contain the group's military build-up, Kan reported.

Aoun's Position: Sovereignty and Return

In a statement issued by the Lebanese Presidency on Friday, Aoun said the agreement 'represents the first step toward enabling displaced Lebanese to return to their land,' stressing that Lebanon would no longer accept occupation. He thanked Washington for hosting the negotiations and expressed gratitude to Arab and friendly nations that backed Lebanon throughout the process. Aoun vowed to continue working until the process is completed.

Hezbollah and Iran Push Back

The deal drew swift and pointed opposition from Hezbollah. Lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Friday the group would 'confront any attempt to implement the framework' and would not relinquish its weapons, according to Lebanese news website Elnashra. Fadlallah further noted that Iran — a close ally of Hezbollah — had made clear that Tehran would not sign any agreement with Washington before a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, Elnashra reported. The dual rejection from Hezbollah and its Iranian patron signals that the agreement faces significant implementation hurdles on the ground.

Netanyahu: Israeli Troops Will Stay Until Hezbollah Disarms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a recorded video statement on Friday evening, said the Israeli military would remain in the 'security zone' it holds in southern Lebanon for as long as Hezbollah does not disarm. Netanyahu described the agreement as a 'major achievement' for Israel and framed it as a significant blow to Iran, which he said had been trying to force an Israeli withdrawal. This sets up a direct standoff: Lebanon's president sees the deal as the start of an Israeli exit; Israel's prime minister conditions that exit on Hezbollah's disarmament — something Hezbollah has categorically refused.

Operations Continue on the Ground

Even as the framework was being signed in Washington, Israeli forces on Friday continued ground and aerial operations in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported. In the border town of Ain Arab, Israeli troops launched a large-scale combing operation hours after taking seven people — three Lebanese residents and four Syrian farm workers — into Israeli-held territory, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported. The continued military activity underscores the gap between diplomatic progress in Washington and the situation on the ground.

The framework's durability now depends on whether Lebanon can bring Hezbollah to heel — a challenge that has defined Lebanese politics for decades — and whether Israel is willing to move through the pilot withdrawal without demanding full disarmament first.