In a statement on Saturday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem accused the Lebanese government of making sweeping concessions to Israel by accepting direct negotiations and linking Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory to the disarmament of armed groups.
"The framework agreement in Washington is humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty," Qassem said, adding that his group views the agreement "null and void."
Qassem warned Lebanese authorities that they were committing a “grave blunder, legitimizing the continuation of the Israeli occupation for many years,” which “may even lead to the annexation of these lands.”
In the agreement, Tel Aviv reserves the right to maintain its military actions and occupation of parts of Lebanon "as a consequence of the attacks, threat posed by, and hostile intent of non-state armed groups, particularly Hezballah," and postpone the return of displaced Lebanese to the south until it deems that there are no more so-called security threats to Israel.
"The Government of Israel stresses that its military actions in Lebanon are solely a consequence of the attacks, threat posed by, and hostile intent of non-state armed groups, particularly Hezballah. The Government of Israel underscores that the termination of this threat, through the disarmament and dismantlement of such groups in all of Lebanon and additional security arrangements to be agreed upon between the two countries, will eliminate any future need for its military action or presence in Lebanon. Pursuant to the above, the Government of Israel declares that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," read article 5 of the 14-point agreement.
Qassem's rejection came less than a day after Lebanese and Israeli officials signed the framework agreement in Washington following five rounds of US-mediated negotiations that began in April.
The signing ceremony was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.
'A first step'
In first statements after the signing of the deal, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun considered the agreement "a first step" to restoring his country's sovereignty.
“The framework agreement signed today is a first step” that will enable Lebanese “to return to their fully liberated lands, and to their certainly rebuilt homes… under the sovereignty of the Lebanese state that has no partner in its sovereignty over its land and people,” Aoun said according to a statement released by his office.
“We swear to continue to work until this is fully achieved. There will be no more occupation, prisoners, subordination or tutelage,” he added.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the agreement “aims to achieve Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, restore state sovereignty over it” and see the return of displaced Lebanese.
“I look forward to the blessed moment when Israel begins to withdraw — so that our dear people can return to their homes with safety and dignity — and to the launch” of reconstruction efforts, Salam added, according to a statement.
Tel Aviv unhinged
Israeli officials, however, have stressed that the agreement with Lebanon does not provide for an immediate withdrawal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli occupation troops would remain inside what Israel calls a "security belt" in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed and Israel no longer faces threats from Lebanese territory.
Israeli officials told Axios that Israeli forces would remain within the so-called "Yellow Line" until those conditions are met, while US military officers would work alongside the Lebanese army to verify that areas handed over are free of Hezbollah fighters.
Israel said Thursday that it had set no timetable for withdrawing its forces from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, as Israeli and Lebanese officials engaged in US-brokered talks in Washington.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at a military academy, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz that his occupation army must remain in Lebanon, in Syria and in Gaza, and "not for a limited time,"
In tandem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the same function that his occupation troops would remain in south Lebanon "as long as necessary ... and you have full freedom of action."
Hezbollah allies reject
On Saturday, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the head of Amal shia movement who acts as mediator between the government and Hezbollah, appealed for calm as political tensions mounted over the deal, urging Lebanese factions not to be drawn into internal strife.
Berri called the Beirut-Tel Aviv deal one-sided and demanded an "unconditional ceasefire by land, sea, and air."
He described the agreement as "booby-trapped," noting it requires Hezbollah to halt operations and withdraw north of the Litani River while failing to secure a parallel Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory.
The criticism of the deal was echoed across Lebanon's political spectrum.
Hanna Gharib of the Lebanese Communist Party, which supports the resistance movement, rejected the deal with Tel Aviv as an "agreement of submission."
Independent MP Halime Kaakour dismissed the notion of peace, stating, "There is no peace without justice—only peace through force."
For Hezbollah, which has fought Israeli troops on several occasions before the current confrontation in southern Lebanon and rejected direct negotiations with Tel Aviv, the deal's provisions amounted to legitimizing Israel's continued occupation.
Qassem warned that tying Israeli withdrawal to the movement's disarmament crossed "all red lines," arguing that Israel, as an occupying power, should withdraw unconditionally rather than impose political or military conditions on Lebanon.
“Israel must leave unconditionally,” he said, adding that “any commitment that undermines Lebanon's sovereignty will not be tolerated, and no one has the right to sign or accept anything.”
“There will be no normalization or concessions,” he added, urging Beirut's political authorities to reject “the enemy's dictates” and build a unified front against Israel's military aggression.
He also accused the Lebanese authorities of surrendering leverage in negotiations and warned the agreement could entrench Israel's presence in occupied Lebanese territory for years, potentially leading to annexation.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah threatened outright obstruction, saying, "Without Hezbollah, nothing will happen. The authorities cannot enforce this unless they go to civil war."
Horizon
The framework deal between Beirut and Tel Aviv comes against the backdrop of Israel's ongoing war in Lebanon, which escalated on 2 March and has continued despite successive ceasefire announcements, including one reached last week as part of a broader US-Iran understanding aimed at halting fighting across multiple regional fronts.
However, the Israeli occupation army has continued carrying out air strikes, ground incursions, and raids across southern Lebanon while expanding the territory under its control.
According to analyses based on Israeli military maps, the area designated by Israel as a security zone has expanded from about 590 square kilometres to roughly 650 square kilometres since April, extending across dozens of Lebanese towns and villages.
Israeli forces have pushed beyond the Litani River in several areas, seized strategic high ground, including Beaufort Castle, and continued advancing towards additional towns in an attempt to establish new facts on the ground before any final settlement.
Israel’s brutality has devastated much of southern Lebanon.
Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health says Israeli attacks since 2 March have killed at least 4,230 people and wounded more than 12,000 others, while more than one million people have been displaced.
United Nations (UN) agencies estimate that more than 11,000 residential and commercial buildings have been completely destroyed across southern Lebanon, with direct physical damage exceeding $1.38 billion. Entire towns have been reduced to rubble, including Bint Jbeil, while large parts of Khiam and other border communities have suffered extensive destruction.
Israeli military attacks continued even after Friday's signing.
In the past 72 hours, Israeli forces have killed 38 Lebanese and wounded 8 others, according to the Emergency Operations Center’s latest report.
Separately, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli troops detained seven farmers from the border village of Ain Arab while they were working their land, including three Lebanese nationals and four Syrian workers, before taking them into Israel.
The agency said Israeli forces later conducted sweeping operations inside the village after burning several homes there a day earlier.
The Israeli Army radio reported on Saturday that the army planned to rotate some brigades out of southern Lebanon to restore readiness, though officials stressed that troops would remain deployed in occupied areas.
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