Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-brokered security agreement in Washington on Friday to create a framework for a cease-fire. The deal links Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon to the disarmament of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. However, the document does not provide for a full Israeli withdrawal, instead tasking the Lebanese Armed Forces with controlling two pilot zones. Israel will also maintain a security zone along the yellow line, marking seized territory that extends approximately 10 kilometers into Lebanon from the border.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the agreement on Saturday, describing it as a humiliation and a surrender to Israel. Qassem called the link between Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah's disarmament a very dangerous suggestion and declared the deal null and void. While some supporters welcomed the agreement as a means to curtail Iran's influence within Lebanon, others took to the streets, viewing the framework as a capitulation and a surrender of sovereignty.
Within Israel, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rejected the agreement, arguing that Lebanon cannot be trusted to disarm Hezbollah. Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted that Israeli troops will remain in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah stays armed. These tensions persist as Lebanon, which entered the regional war in March after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, continues to experience hostilities, including a recent Israeli drone strike in the south.