Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem on Saturday denounced the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement signed in Washington as “null and void,” calling it a humiliation and a surrender of Lebanon’s sovereignty. The group’s top ally in Beirut’s parliament, Speaker Nabih Berri, went further, labeling the deal an “incitement to civil war.”
Israel and Lebanon Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement
The agreement, signed Friday in Washington after five rounds of talks, is intended to pave the way for an eventual peace agreement between the two long-time adversaries. It includes a pilot effort in which Lebanese soldiers will take control of some areas currently held by Israeli troops, as well as a process aimed at disarming Hezbollah. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the deal as “the beginning of the beginning,” adding, “There’s a lot of work ahead.”
Hezbollah Rejects Deal, Calls It a 'Grave Blunder'
In a statement, Qassem said any attempt to link Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the group’s disarmament crossed “red lines.” He accused Lebanese authorities of “legitimizing” Israeli occupation through this “grave blunder,” which temporarily leaves much of southern Lebanon under Israeli military control until areas are verified to be cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure and handed over to the Lebanese military. Qassem called for the deal to be replaced by the Iran-US memorandum of understanding signed the week before in Switzerland, which linked the ceasefire in Lebanon with the truce between Iran and the US — a move that greatly concerned Israel.
Israeli Leaders React: Netanyahu Hails, Ben Gvir Denounces
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the agreement as a historic achievement that dealt a blow to arch-foes Iran and Hezbollah. “Yesterday we achieved a historic deal for the state of Israel after direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a televised briefing. “This is a blow to Iran and Hezbollah.” However, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir denounced the agreement, saying the Lebanese government could not be trusted to disarm Hezbollah. “The agreement with Lebanon is a big mistake... Indeed, we are staying in most of the territory for now, but the state of Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Hezbollah Allies Warn of Constitutional Violations
Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad, who leads the group’s Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc in parliament, said the agreement showed “the Lebanese authority’s complete submission to America and the Zionist enemy.” He added that by facilitating the deal, the US violated its “explicit commitment to Iran regarding its responsibility to pressure Israel to withdraw completely from Lebanon and respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Additionally, Hezbollah’s Lawyers’ Association argued that the deal, which states that Israel and Lebanon “affirm the right of each state to exist in peace,” violates Lebanon’s constitution, which “considers Zionism to be a challenge to human dignity” and calls for working to eliminate it. The legal union warned that terms allowing Israeli troops to maintain temporary control of Lebanese territory “constitutes a coup against the constitutional obligations related to preserving the independence of the homeland and the integrity of its territories.” It urged Beirut to “immediately reverse this decision, stop direct negotiations, and adhere to the option of resistance as a natural, constitutional, and law-based option for protecting and liberating the land.”
